Amidst a sea of inequalities, Catalina Viza leads 30 fishing associations in the Bay of Sechura, north of Perú. This bay in Piura houses great biodiversity, offered by the Pacific Ocean close to Ecuador. You just have to dive a few meters below water to extract shellfish that give work to thousands of families.

At 48 years old, Catalina represents the Parachique area in the Fishermen and Fish Farmers Council in the Sechura Bay. Despite this, in these spaces, the stereotype that fishing is an activity exclusively for men is still very much alive. "Women have very little participation and we need for this to change, we must help them to incur not only in fishing but other ventures as well!" she explains.

Even if Catalina wishes that more women like her would engage in fishing and decision-making spaces, she knows that to achieve this, it's fundamental that they have better access to education. “Thanks to my education I’ve been able to get ahead in this sexist society. Education has opened many doors for me. I make my own decisions and don’t have to depend on anybody.”

To achieve sustainable management of the area, where 80% of the mollusks that Peru exports grow, women as well as men should have a clear voice in decision making spaces. To get there, the Ministry of Environment, Regional Government of Piura and the United Nations Development Programme, through the Coastal Fisheries Initiative, support men and women dedicated to fishing and extraction articulating conservation efforts with the production of biodiversity that exists in the ecosystem, with a gender equality focus.

Aside from representing the fishing associations, Catalina is the manager at a plant that processes shellfish, which she founded with her father and brother. She's considered an excellent boss; Catalina enjoys listening to the 80 women who work in the plant. "I like to listen to them, to know their fears, needs, and what they are thinking. I always say we're all linked in a chain, and the chain can't break, we all need each other. I need them as much as they need me".

Born to a fisherman father, Catalina's passion for the ocean is set deep in her bones. This sea that links over 56 million women all around the world, whose voices still have to be heard, Catalina is a wave inspiring transformation for other women. An inspiration that makes it clear that in the ocean, equality can also reign.