Traditionally, women of the sea have played fundamental roles in artisanal fishing in Chile, which have been historically invisible, causing, among other things, not being considered when it comes to making decisions.

Over the last few years, Capital Azul Foundation has been working alongside various  artisanal fishers’ unions in the Valparaíso region to establish TURF-Reserves, a program that today has the support of the BHP Foundation.  These are marine areas for conservation purposes that are located within the Territorial User Rights for Fisheries (TURF or AMERB, as abbreviated in Spanish) administered by the unions themselves. 

These voluntary protection zones, recognized as such in the recently enacted Chilean Benthic Law, allow combining exploitation and conservation in the same system with the objective of increasing biodiversity and at the same time improving the livelihood and resilience of Chile’s coastal communities. 

Within the framework of this work, the Capital Azul Foundation team has been encountering the lack of a generational replacement at the coves to continue the work around artisanal fishing, and where the inclusion of young people and women appears as a key to diversify the forms of involvement. Likewise, the lack of information about the role and contribution of women of the sea, whose connection to the ocean often occurs through related activities and not necessarily from diving and fishing, awakened the interest in learning more about these women who are related to La Polcura, Zapallar, Cachagua, Maitencillo and Ventanas coves, and the TURF-Reserves present there.

“It is very important to have solid data that allows us to identify their needs, who they are, what they do, and based on that information, design a plan together with artisanal fishers to promote the participation and inclusion of women,” explains Paulina Martínez Marín, Communities and Education Director at Capital Azul Foundation.

The NGO joined forces with Mujeres de Mar Foundation, an organization focused on social, inclusive, equal and sustainable development, to analyze the socioeconomic situation and the role of women in the fishing and related activities at the TURF-Reserves of the Valparaíso region in order to identify their needs, strengths, gaps and potential opportunities to foster their integral development and promote gender equality.

“One of the main challenges to closing gender gaps is the lack of data to adequately understand the roles and functions of women in various fields, including artisanal fisheries and marine conservation. Therefore, collecting and analyzing information on the reality of women in these activities is fundamental to inform and guide policies, projects and any intervention in an effective and accurate manner”, says Daniela Tapia Navarrete, project manager of Mujeres de Mar Foundation.

“The work of women in the world of artisanal fishing is often invisibilized, but their role is, and has always been fundamental. This initiative seeks to provide an x-ray of their contribution and open new spaces for their participation, together with the unions”, adds Alejandra Garcés, director of the Chile Program of the BHP Foundation.

The study will begin on Monday, June 17th from 5 to 8 p.m. at the headquarters of the Ventanas Fishers Union located at Bellavista 155, continuing at the same time on Tuesday, June 18th at the Cachagua headquarters at Las Corvinas 45. On Wednesday, June 19th, the activity will continue in Maitencillo, while on Friday, June 21st, it will take place in La Ballena.

According to Carola Benítez Padilla, Territorial Coordinator of Capital Azul Foundation, since they are the ones who are most impacted by climate change, poverty and inequality, it is important to give a voice to this systematically and historically excluded group, and thus move towards their incorporation in various spaces.

“The meeting seeks to be an activity that allows us to meet with these women. It is a great opportunity to get to know them, talk and start working together around their interests, and to draw the ideas and tools they bring for conservation”, says Paulina Martínez, adding that “conservation with the help of communities requires the incorporation of different actors, and one of them is women. Gender gaps have reduced their inclusion and participation, and this survey seeks to identify these barriers in order to seek alternatives and solutions together with the artisanal fishers’ unions”.