C Ifeka Women in fisheries. Why women count : Prospects for self-reliant fisheries development in the South Pacific compared to the Indian Ocean

The same cannot be said of women's economic contribution to artisanal fisheries (Thompson 1982). With certain exceptions (Firth 1943; Firth 1975; Gulati 1984(a), 1984(b); Schoeffel 1984) women's work in this field is muted, if not completely obs­ cured (Johannes 1981; Alexander 1982), partly be­ cause the term 'artisanal fisheries' is used uncri­ tically. In general the term is taken to mean la­ bour-intensive, shallow-water capture fisheries (Lawson, 1980, 1985; Gopalkrishnan 1984).