A legal and policy database on small-scale fisheries that contributes to the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication.

As a subset of the FAOLEX database, SSF-LEX contains country profiles with detailed information relevant to small-scale fisheries: socioeconomic data; international and regional commitments; constitutional provisions; institutional arrangements; definition(s) of small-scale fisheries and related terms; and national legislation and policies.

The SSF-LEX country profiles provide lists of legislation and policies relevant to small-scale fisheries, as well as lists of legislation and policies relevant to the thematic areas covered by the SSF Guidelines: (i) governance of tenure; (ii) sustainable resource management and conservation; (iii) social development, employment and decent work; (iv) value-chains, post-harvest and trade; (v) gender equality; and (vi) disaster risks and climate change. An analysis of the most relevant provisions of the national regulatory and policy framework is provided for selected countries.

SSF-LEX can assist users in understanding the rights of small-scale fishers and their communities as well as the obligations of governments and other actors with respect to small-scale fisheries issues. It also assists users in understanding how national legislation and policies align with the SSF Guidelines, helping in the identification of good practices that can be used as guidance in other countries.