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Solar lights help Kenyan women escape sex-for-fish trap

Kagondu David Njagi

March 16, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kendu Bay

A renewable energy project in Kenya is empowering women to catch their own fish instead of relying on “sex-for-fish” deals. Previously, men used to control the mechanisms for catching fish and would only sell to women who would have sex with them. About 400 women have received free solar lights, which allows them to fish at night. The batteries are lightweight and can run up to 120 hours on a single charge. For one woman, using the light also enables her to keep her fish stall open longer, earning her 10 times more than what she used to.

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How new technology is helping to identify human rights abuses in the seafood industry

Virginia Gewin

February 25, 2021 |

The Counter |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ghana

A growing number of governments, companies, and nonprofit organizations are working together with new technology and data to identify fishing vessels that are breaking laws and engaging in human rights violations. Using satellite imagery and tracking signals, for example, a philanthropic company and a nonprofit worked with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to help the Ghanian navy arrest four vessels for illegal fishing practices. Technology by itself won’t stop forced labor and unregulated ships, but it can be helpful for cash-strapped governments looking to increase oversight of their fisheries.

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Once destined for raw bars, 5 million oysters are being rerouted to coastal restoration efforts

Lela Nargi

February 23, 2021 |

The Counter |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

The Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration initiative (SOAR), coordinated by the Pew Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy, and various state agencies, NGOs, and universities, spent millions buying oysters from 100 farms in seven states to put back into the oceans for reef restoration. Working in areas that already have reef monitoring programs, SOAR is supporting 20 reef restoration projects to create habitat for more oysters and other marine species, clean the water, and mitigate coastal flooding. SOAR also helped mitigate potential losses for shellfish farmers due to COVID-19.

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The pandemic could change U.S. fisheries forever. Will it be for better or for worse?

Katarina Zimmer

February 18, 2021 |

The Counter |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

To weather the uncertainties of the pandemic and geopolitical trade disputes, many small, locally-operated fisheries in the United States have upended the way they do business by selling their catches directly to consumers. For example, OC Wild Seafood in California started to sell its spiny lobsters locally. Though the logistics and regulations can make fish-to-dish initiatives challenging, many community-supported fisheries saw an increase in sales and customers in 2020.

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A Tour of Unloved Fishes

Shreya Dasgupta

February 16, 2021 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Fishploration provides scientifically guided tours of fish markets to teach consumers how to select sustainable and non-threatened fish that are in season and caught using non-destructive fishing practices. Each month, the group produces a guide - based both on scientific information and knowledge from local fish sellers – highlight which species are in season and okay to eat. Participants walk through the market, learning to identify species and having a chance to interact with the fishing community. A second component of the tour is to visit the home of a local fisher family and share a meal.

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On the Columbia River, something stirs beyond the dams

Ted Alvarez

February 02, 2021 |

Crosscut |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Colville Indian Reservation, Washington

The Grand Coulee, a 500-foot-tall dam on the Columbia River, nearly eradicated the salmon population that the Colville Tribes relied on, but the Indigenous community initiated a restoration effort to save the fish. They released by hand 100 adult Chinook salmon and scientists were able to confirm that the species was spawning on the upper part of the dam for the first time in 80 years.

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French Polynesia's pearl farmers combat climate change with sustainable practices

Ashley Westerman

January 22, 2021 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: French Polynesia, Tahiti

A rapidly changing climate is shaking up how French Polynesian pearl farmers are doing business. Kamoka Pearl Farm is incorporating more sustainable practices like using its own oysters to create the nuclei that form pearls and using fish to organically clean the oysters instead of power washing them.

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Seafood Delicacies Find Their Way Into Home Kitchens

Annelise Jolley Greta Rybus

January 19, 2021 |

Life & Thyme |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Santa Barbara, California

After restaurants closed due to COVID-19 and tariffs were implemented on exports to China, fishermen and women in the United States had to shift their business model to sell directly to consumers. For example, Get Hooked, a subscription-based community-supported fishery in California that delivers daily catches to customers, saw their business double after the pandemic hit. This new model allows home cooks to support local suppliers and explore new foods.

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Simple change to fishing gear saves thousands of birds in Namibia

Chris Baraniuk

January 19, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Namibia

Tens of thousands of vulnerable bird species have been saved over the last decade thanks to new equipment that has been installed by Namibian fishing boats. By fitting colorful hosepipe to lines towed behind boats, a study has shown that birds are scared away and don’t end up getting tangled in the lines. The material is also fairly cheap to implement, which allowed the solution to be widely implemented.

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The Radio Station at the Heart of a Fishing Community

Kamala Thiagarajan

January 12, 2021 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Pamban Island

Kadal Osai (Sound of the Sea) is a radio broadcast with programming designed for fishers and their families since 2016. It reaches about 50,000 people from 30 fishing villages within a 15-kilometer radius of the station’s headquarters. Twelve radio jockeys provide 24-7 programming, with climate change and marine conservation two popular topics. The programming has provided a conservation mindset for many local fisherfolk, leading to behavior changes and helping them adapt to the rapidly changing world. The shows have shifted how they value the lives of sea creatures and what the ocean provides more broadly.

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