In our Research Highlights blog series, we debut newly published fisheries research by our women of fisheries colleagues. If you have research you would like to highlight and share with our readers, submit a nomination form here!

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Garlock, T., J. Chu, C. Crandall, J. Dutka-Gianelli, R.B.M. Pincinato, and L. Liu. 2026. Participation and Influence of Women in Global Seafood Systems. Fish and Fisheries. 27(5):1166–1175.

Being part of the seafood industry doesn’t necessarily mean having a seat at the table. As Taryn Garlock, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at Auburn University, explains, “Women’s contributions in fisheries and aquaculture are underrecognized, and when women are invisible in statistics, they are often invisible in management decisions.”

To learn more about the role women play in the seafood industry, Taryn and her team conducted a study using a global database collected with the Fishery Performance Indicators (FPI) and Aquaculture Performance Indicators (API). Specifically, they looked at four metrics: women participation in the harvest sector such as in a role of crew member or farm worker; women participation in the post-harvest sector such as fish processing or selling; women’s influence in business such as ownership and finance; and women’s influence in resource management such as policy and research decision-making.

They found that, regardless of the type of fishing industry, women typically participated more in the post-harvest sector than harvest sector. The aquaculture industry also tended to have higher participation of women than fisheries.

But – and it’s a big but.

Just because women participate in an industry doesn’t necessarily mean they are part of the decision-making process.

Despite women have a higher participation in the aquaculture sector, they actually had less influence in the business aspect than those in the fishing sector. In fact, only 25% of industries had gender neutral or women-dominated decision-making, suggesting that women tend to occupy entry-level, lower paying, and more labor-intensive positions.

So, even when the door is open so-to-speak, women may still not have a seat at the table.

The reasons for this are varied. For example, Taryn and her team found work-life balance is often a consideration. Inland and nearshore jobs generally had higher participation of women, because they are in closer proximity to their homes and allow women to balance other responsibilities like childcare and household duties.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.

There were exceptions and differences across regions and species, but the overall patterns provide important insights. Being intentional about bringing women to the management table by including them in the processes that establish management goals, identify needs, and develop policies has shown to be successful in some fisheries and may provide a promising path forward. Pointing to previous studies, Taryn and her team note that “women bring diverse perspectives, local knowledge and skills that differ from men, and thus their engagement leads to more effective decision-making, improved collective action, and higher compliance and community-buy in.” 

In most regions of the world, women have long been absent from the management process. There are many reasons for this that are cultural, economic, and institutional in nature. The solutions are complex, and limited gender-specific data makes effective reform challenging. However, highlighting the role women play (and don’t play) in seafood systems is an important first step in improving women’s access to the decision-making process and creating a more balanced seafood industry that benefits all.  

Moving forward, Taryn plans to work with her colleagues to address other social inequities and environmental sustainability issues utilizing the same dataset. She also encourages people to be an ally to women in the fishing industry by amplifying their ideas and contributions and advocating for policies and training opportunities that support them.

The full manuscript can be found and downloaded here:
doi.org/10.1111/faf.70105

Fishery and Aquaculture Performance Indicators:
fpilab.org