The country’s commitment to providing for and protecting all communities and its diversity, while admirable, has thus far been ineffective. Enacted policies have failed to make much headway, due to a lack of co-ordination between different government institutions. The country’s rural development efforts have mostly been directed towards the agriculture sector, rendering small-scale artisanal fishers invisible, and women fishers even more so. Our research reveals that the current system of land tenure and the threat of climate change are huge problems for the sector. More needs to be done to mitigate and protect fishers and aid in their overall development. Despite existing laws, almost no existent regulations aid and assist indigenous communities to enhance and sustainably uplift their lives. For Costa Rica, the Voluntary Guidelines to Guarantee Sustainable Fishing Small Scale (FAO) remain an instrument yet to be put into practice.