Kenyan Women Fishers Demand Seat at Ocean Conservation Table

On a lawn overlooking the Indian Ocean in Mombasa, three Kenyan women sat down to share a truth the conservation world has ignored for too long: you can't protect the ocean without the people who depend on it.

The special conversation brought together Amina Komora, a fisher from the indigenous Sanye community, Zulfa Hassan, known as "Mama Mikoko" for her mangrove restoration work, and Raabia Hawa, founder of the Ulinzi Africa Foundation. They gathered at the Our Ocean Conference, the first time the global summit has been held on African soil.

Komora's story captured the barriers these communities face. She learned fishing from her mother as a child and now teaches her grandchildren the same skills passed down through generations. Yet despite being registered as fishers, Sanye women routinely find their names removed from support programs.

"We have been marginalised for a long time and made to feel like we cannot speak for ourselves, even though we are fishers," Komora said. "We want to be recognised as legal fishers, not forced to hide."

The stakes couldn't be higher. One in 12 people globally rely on small-scale fishing, and nearly half are women. They harvest, process, market seafood, and support entire household economies while protecting shorelines from climate threats and conserving vital coastal habitats.

Actress and ocean advocate Kate Walsh joined the discussion, using her platform to amplify their voices. "We've seen time and again that conservation is at its strongest and most successful when local communities help lead," Walsh said.

The Ripple Effect

When women like Hassan restore mangroves or Komora teaches sustainable fishing practices, they're not just feeding their families. They're building climate resilience for entire regions, protecting blue carbon habitats that absorb greenhouse gases, and preserving traditional knowledge that scientists are only beginning to understand.

Yet these women remain largely excluded from the formal decision-making structures that govern fisheries and conservation. Their expertise gets overlooked in favor of outside experts who lack their intimate understanding of local marine ecosystems.

Hawa's conservation work has required challenging traditional expectations in her community, creating tension but also opening doors. Her foundation now protects coastal and inland ecosystems across Kenya.

For Komora, this conference represented something unprecedented: the chance for the Sanye to tell their own story on their own terms. She thanked organizers and Blue Ventures for finally giving her community space to be seen and heard.

The message from Mombasa is clear: lasting ocean protection requires true partnership with the people who know these waters best.