Fisheries are one of the last remaining systems of wild food, contributing vast benefits in the form of nutritious food, livelihoods, foreign revenue, and cultural identity. When orientated towards supporting territorial markets, these systems maintain a wealth of knowledge on who has the rights, powers and responsibilities to decide how areas and resources are used, shared, conserved, and developed. However, over the past few decades these systems of tenure have eroded, as the ability to access fishery benefits has been determined by the economic capacity of often distant nation’s fleets and levels of state support. These changes have in turn undermined food security and exacerbated malnutrition in many regions of the world. In this talk I will explore the role and importance of fish to people’s cultures, diets, and livelihoods around the world. I will then examine the political, economic and environmental challenges that are undermining these contributions; challenges that have exacerbated considerably in recent months and years, and end with some reflections on promising directions of change to support the role of fisheries for local food systems.