At the heart of the Coast 2 Coast Movement is Festival Somos Mar. Launched in 2019, it is a blended creative and audiovisual arts festival that engages primarily with small-scale fishing communities on the northern coast of Peru. This festival is the creation of Coast 2 Coast founders Emi Koch and Nicolás Landa Tami. It’s a traveling festival in which Koch, Landa, and their colleagues and partners engage in creative media workshops with rural students from local schools.

When COVID-19 first hit back in early 2020, the impact on small-scale fishing communities was both instantaneous and devastating. They have faced much adversity, including the loss of international markets, lack of tourism, and local buyers. They’ve had to make pivots when it comes to fishing in a way that is “COVID-19 safe.” Small-scale fisheries are essential for establishing food security, in both developed and developing nations.

On January 15th an estimated 11,900 barrels of oil were spilled off the coast of Peru. This occurred at Peru’s largest oil refinery, La Pampilla which is owned by Repsol, a Spanish energy company.