Strengthening the role of women in Mediterranean fishing and enhance their contribution to the sustainable management of marine resources and the development of coastal communities. This is the objective of « Women Together in Fisheries 2026 », an initiative organized in Tunisia from October 5 to 7, 2026 by WWF North Africa in collaboration with the WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative. E Explore City
The meeting brought together in Tunis more than 90 women working in the fishing, from more than ten Mediterranean countries, as well as representatives and experts from the sector, to discuss sustainable fishing, autonomy economic, climate change and women’s participation in decision-making processes.
The work also focused on traditional knowledge related to fishing, the role of women in the processing and marketing of fishery products, women’s cooperatives and the management of marine resources. Part of the program was also devoted to the blue economy and opportunities to diversify sources of income within coastal communities.
A visit to Ghar El Mel, in the Bizerte Governorate, on October 6, allowed the participants to meet women involved in post-fishing activities and in local cooperatives. The objective was to compare field experiments and identify concrete solutions that could be reproduced in other regions of the Mediterranean. The last day yesterday was devoted to the fight against plastic pollution, the circular economy and the possibility of transforming waste into new economic activities and sources of income.
Women, as we know, play an essential role throughout the Mediterranean fishing value chain, but continue to face barriers to access to funding, services and decision-making processes. The Tunis meeting therefore aims to strengthen a Mediterranean network of women in the sector, by making local experiences a lever for operational proposals aimed at making fishing more sustainable, inclusive and resilient to climate change.
