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Relying on experience from West Africa and the Mekong Basin, we contend that small-scale inland fisheries are a critical element in the livelihoods of many farming households who live near water bodies in developing countries. Empirical evidence suggests that the relation between poverty and small-scale fisheries cannot be reduced to a simple correlation with income. A more thorough analysis is required. Using vulnerability and exclusions as two dimensions of poverty, we show that poverty in fishing communities includes a wide range of variables: income but also land ownership, debt, access to health, education and financial capital, and political and geographical marginalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]