The final statement: We, the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF), the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), La Via Campesina (LVC), and members of the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC)—representing tens of millions of small-scale fishers and Indigenous Peoples worldwide—express our deep concern over the aggressive and unchecked expansion of industrial aquaculture.
The entire value chain of the aquaculture sector is increasingly dominated by transnational corporations and finance capital. In doing so, some States have weakened national regulations and policies, prioritizing corporate interests over the well-being of coastal and inland communities and Indigenous Peoples. These reforms have led to widespread human rights violations, including the displacement of communities, erosion of customary rights and the environment, the denial of the right to free, prior, and informed consent.
Furthermore, the industrial, monoculture model of aquaculture threatens the resilience and long-term health of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Pollution from aquaculture—including chemical additives, antibiotics, pesticides, plastics, and carcinogenic substances—is contaminating waters, creating dead zones, endangering wild fish populations, and posing serious risks to human health. SSF communities and Indigenous Peoples, whose cultures, traditions, and livelihoods are closely tied to the ocean and inland waters, are being pushed aside and left behind.
We urgently call on Governments to address these concerns and take immediate steps to uphold human rights, enforce regulations that prevent ecological degradation and protect customary tenure systems and collective rights,
as outlined in the SSF Guidelines, endorsed by COFI in 2014.
