The papers contained in this volume represent a substantive contribution to the literature on the topic of gender and fisheries. Drawing on work undertaken around the globe, the results described here confirm and extend earlier work and show that contributions to the fisheries sector among different genders are highly differentiated but uniformly substantial. As with many other sectors, however, the size and nature of the contribution of women, in particular, is inadequately recognized and there is rarely an equitable distribution to each gender of the benefits that derive from their inputs. Such problems are especially stark for the small-scale fisheries of developing countries where women often bear the brunt of the poverty that pervades the sector. Notwithstanding the value of the contributions provided in these pages, however, a careful reading of them reveals as many gaps as answers. these gaps indicate that our understanding of these enduring inequities remains inadequate. We have made an important first step, but much more is needed.
