In the European Union, more than 80% of the fishing fleet is composed of small vessels measuring less than 12 meters in length. These vessels are part of the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) sector, which provides approximately 100 thousand direct jobs for fishers (mostly men) and a comparable number of indirect jobs, many of them for women. In addition to providing employment, SSF in the EU land about two million tons of high-quality food per year estimated to be worth about EUR 2.6 billion. Despite these figures, the economic contribution of SSFs to the country's Gross Domestic Product is typically small compared to that of large-scale commercial fisheries. This low economic contribution obscures the real importance of SSF to rural coastal development, which represent a nexus of socio-cultural, economic and environmental assets. In addition, small-scale fishing communities share the characteristic of having been neglected in fisheries policies and research. In some cases, this neglect has allowed their social and economic marginalization. The objectives of SSF-value are:
a) To identify the socio-cultural and economic contribution of Galician small-scale fisheries (including contributions of women and marginalized groups) to coastal communities using a well-being approach.
b) To estimate the value of the socio-cultural and economic contributions of SSF, combining qualitative data and economic valuation tools.
c) To co-develop indicators that encompass economic and socio-cultural data for monitoring and evaluation of impacts to the SSF’s fleet.
The research findings indicate that the Galician SSF sector, particularly the on-foot harvesting of shellfish conducted mostly by women, plays a significant role in enhancing material well-being. This is shown by the fact that it is not just the harvesters who benefit from it as a source of income, but also the people employed along the value chain, from shellfish hatcheries to purification companies, right up to the commercialization of these marine products. In addition, other economic activities, like fishing tours (pescatourism), provide another way to boost material well-being. In terms of relational well-being, this fishery offers a unique chance to strengthen social ties, which in turn help to build social capital, a sense of belonging and place, the formation of friendships, flows of care and solidarity, the continuation of traditions, values and norms, and the preservation of a local fishing culture. The women harvesters often mentioned how this economic activity helped them to balance work and family life. The majority of these contributions are difficult to express in monetary terms. Once the women have taken up this occupation, it is difficult to change to another one with fixed working hours or taking place indoors. The women also mentioned the freedom that shellfish harvesting offers, as noted in the quota "in this job you are your own boss". In terms of subjective well-being, on-foot shellfish harvesting provides a sense of liberty, unique experiences, and a connection to nature that is less common in conventional occupations. Some women described the act of harvesting shellfish as a "magical" experience. The research also concludes that further understanding is required in order to value the relational and subjective dimensions of well-being in monetary terms. In special, the synergistic or cumulative effects of social relations fostering well-being possess an significant challenge for their realistic valuation in monetary terms. For example, the extent to which friendship fosters solidarity, which then fosters social capital, and this again fosters a sense of identity will need further investigation in order to estimate individual and cumulative contributions to well-being. Finally, potential monitoring indicators for this fishery were identified as the number of fishing grounds (beaches) were harvesting is allowed per year per fishing guild (cofradia) and the time (years) that the harvesters remain in the profession. For some fishing communities, the number of shellfish harvesters on sick leave per year can also be an indicator of well-being, in this case harnessing it, as many women opt to obtain medical certificates to justify their absence from work when conditions are unfavorable, such as low shellfish market prices or low quotas.
