This research by the International Pole and Line Foundation is intended to map the roles of women in tuna supply chains in the Maldives; and work to develop and test indicators that can represent the gender dimension of these fisheries in a broader program of social and economic monitoring of tuna fisheries in the Maldives. The indicators will be grouped into categories relating to: resource use and dependency; ecosystem benefits and well being; and drivers of change.

​Over half of the people employed in the seafood industry are women and yet data on female workers are limited: gender disaggregated statistics for the seafood sector hardly exist. The adverse implications of these gaps in knowledge and data are made evident by the dismal state of small-scale fisheries, globally. As more attention has shifted towards looking for fisheries management solutions outside of the traditional methods, NGO’s, researchers, and governments alike have begun to recognize the need for examining the roles of women in fisheries. The majority of fisheries centered organizations today, have developed initiatives to examine the gender component of fisheries. This field however, is still very much in it’s infancy, and there is a need for more participation and contributions to research. Understanding the roles and statuses of women in the seafood industry will also have positive impacts for women beyond the fishery, into the broader social context.