Fisheries resources are in a state of decline throughout the world’s seas. Overexploitation, destruction of habitats essential for the maintenance of healthy fish stocks and upland sources of pollution are some of the main factors associated with this decline. In many countries it is the small-scale or artisanal fisheries and the dependent communities and families that are the first to feel the impact of such losses. Artisanal fisheries often form an important if not the sole source of income and protein for many local coastal communities.