TBTI GLOBAL
New book
Small-scale fisheries are central to life along Peru’s coast, yet they remain largely overlooked in national and global narratives. While many people recognize Peru for its anchoveta industry, far less attention is given to the communities whose daily lives, knowledge systems, and local economies are shaped by artisanal fishing. This book offers a closer look into that world through the case of Lobitos, a fishing village on the northern coast of Peru. Structured around past, present, and future, the book traces how Lobitos came to be. The present centers on a recent oil spill, followed by a major storm, that pushed this remote fishing village to the brink – between giving up and rising up. Looking toward the future, the book brings forward the voices of children and fishers through newly formed youth-adult partnerships. These perspectives highlight concerns about environmental change, shifting aspirations, and the continuity of fishing as a way of life, while also pointing to new forms of collaboration and possibility.
There are places in the world that we may hear a lot about and even contemplate visiting. But more often than not, we don’t make it there. The place remains on our “to-go” list, every now and then invoking curiosity and a possibility of a trip. Only in some rare occasions that a place starts holding a special meaning, even without us ever setting our foot there. Lobitos, a small coastal town in Northern Peru, is such a place for me.
My visit was put on hold, however, when a major oil spill occurred in December 2024. Lobitos has a long history of oil development, dating back to the 19th century, but the operation is now under state-run Petroperú. The 2024 oil spill was not the first incident in the area but it’s the one that triggered several post-spill activities, including the production of this e-book “Lobitos: Between the Sea and Oil".
We learned more about the 2024 oil spill during the Blue Justice webinar last February (2025), again on World Day of Social Justice. In addition to Henry, Tulio, and Emi, we got to meet Ivan Vite Bancayan, the lead editor of the book. Although the oil spill was devastating, the opportunity to talk about it at the webinar was a good healing process. It also helped us think of the ways in which we/TBTI could contribute to. After further discussion and the deliberation, the idea about the Lobito e-book was put formed, and the result is what you have in front of you.
Ivan is not only the lead editor of the book but also an author of several chapters. We were pleased to see that he was interested in the past and that he wrote a couple of chapters about it. We learned a great deal by what he wrote about the present situation, given that he had a first-hand experience of the oil spill, and has been active in the emergency response actions, as well as in the discussion about the follow-ups. He shares some of the ideas in the final part of the book, where he talks about the roles and responsibility of various organizations and the need for collaboration when dealing with crisis and what needs to be done to move the community’s vision and agreement forward. With the book, Ivan has shown us the importance of knowing the past, being attentive to the present, and taking active role in shaping the future. He is the “Young Future” – a true gem for the vibrancy and prosperity of small-scale fisheries communities.
Ratana Chuenpagdee
TBTI Global
"Que este libro sea una invitación abierta a cuestionar, aprender e involucrarse; a no ser espectadores, sino protagonistas. A entender que el desarrollo no debe significar pérdida, sino equilibrio; que el progreso no debe construirse a costa de la identidad, sino a partir de ella. El futuro de Lobitos, como el de tantas comunidades costeras, no está escrito. Se construye día a día, en cada decisión tomada con conciencia y en cada esfuerzo compartido. Y si algo deja este recorrido, es la certeza de que cuando una comunidad se organiza, se educa y cree en su propio valor, tiene la capacidad de transformar su realidad. El mar seguirá ahí, como testigo y como guía. Dependerá de todos decidir cómo relacionarse con él: como simples usuarios de sus recursos o como verdaderos guardianes de su equilibrio."
May this book serve as an open invitation to question, learn, and become involved – to become active participants rather than spectators. To understand development as balance rather than loss, and progress as something built from identity rather than at its expense. The future of Lobitos, like that of so many coastal communities, remains unwritten. It is shaped day by day through every thoughtful decision and every shared effort. If this journey leaves us with one certainty, it is that when a community organizes, learns, and believes in its own worth, it has the power to transform its reality. The sea will remain, as witness and guide. It is up to all of us to decide how we relate to it: as mere users of its resources or as true protectors of its balance. (page 110)
Ivan Vite Bancayan
About the editors
Ivan Vite Bancayan
Ivan grew up in the community of Lobitos in a family of artisanal fishers. He has a close relationship with the sea, nature, and the daily life of the community. Driven by this influence, he studied environmental engineering, focusing his training on the care of ecosystems and the analysis of environmental problems affecting coastal communities. Throughout his career, he has been involved in initiatives related to marine conservation and working with communities. This book compiles part of his personal, professional, and territorial experience, with the purpose of documenting and highlighting realities that form part of the living memory of the northern coast of Peru.
Emi Koch
Emi Koch is a social-ecologist who utilizes community-based participatory research approaches to understand fisheries scarcity’s impact on small-scale fishing communities’ well-being and resilience. Emi co-founded Coast 2 Coast, a nonprofit based in Lobitos, Peru, that combines investigation with imagination, working with rural students from fishing villages using storytelling tools + participatory research approaches for young learners to explore and communicate their small-scale fishing importance. She is a Fulbright Fellow and National Geographic Explorer from San Diego, California, living in Lobitos, Peru.
Milena Arias-Schreiber
Milena Arias-Schreiber is a Researcher and Project Leader at the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden. With a background on marine ecology and doctoral studies in the social sciences from the University of Bremen (Germany), her research focuses on institutional challenges for sustainable fisheries management. On this topic, she has worked with commercial anchovy fisheries for fishmeal production in the Peruvian Upwelling Ecosystem and with small-scale fisheries in the Baltic Sea.
Stefanie Torres
Stefanie Torres is a marine biologist and the Hub Leader of Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) Peru. Over the past several years, her work has focused on youth leadership, ocean literacy, community engagement, and marine conservation, with a particular emphasis on connecting local initiatives with international ocean policy and advocacy. She has participated in different international conferences, programs, and multilateral processes related to ocean conservation and climate, while leading projects that empower young people and coastal communities in Peru to become active ocean stewards.