The Keepers of the Sea are women from the fishing community of the Sado estuary who collaborate with Ocean Alive in protecting seagrass meadows.

This initiative by Ocean Alive addresses the problem of declining employability in fishing, caused by the loss of seagrass meadows and marine resources.

Through a training program for women in fishing communities, we created three new professions that value their knowledge and life stories, while providing them with a supplementary income.

The fisherwomen act as sea guides in the educational program and marine experiences, they are awareness-raising agents in the Shellfishing WITHOUT Litter campaign and monitors of the seagrass meadows in scientific projects.

These new professions give the Keepers of the Sea a catalytic role in changing behaviors among their peers—changes that are necessary to eliminate the threats the local community poses to seagrass meadows: shellfishing litter, anchors, and destructive fishing and gathering techniques.

Keepers of the Sea: a pilot to change the paradigm of the Young Fisherwoman profession

Our vision is that the Keepers of the Sea serve as a pilot for a structural shift in the profession of the Young Fisherwoman: being a fisherwoman is not just about earning a living by fishing at sea—it’s about earning a living from the sea.

The innovation in this idea lies in diversifying the activities within the fishing profession, with, for example, nature tourism, scientific knowledge creation, and marine ecosystem restoration.

This way, the income required to maintain a young fisherwoman’s fishing license could also come from these additional activities. This shift addresses global challenges like fighting biodiversity loss and restoring degraded marine habitats, fosters the growing opportunities of the blue bioeconomy, and highlights the value of women of the sea.

We are promoting this change by engaging society and governmental decision-making bodies.