These guidelines provide general principles and basic considerations for those involved in providing microfinance services to fisheries and aquaculture and for those who intend to include fishing and fish farming communities as part of the client base of their operation. The guidelines further elaborate on lending models, methodologies and policies that have applicability to fisheries and address concerns that are particular to the sector, while adhering to best practices in the microfinance field. The publication also contains a summary of the proceedings and recommendations of the Report of the Regional Workshop on Microfinance Programmes in Support of Responsible Aquaculture and Marine Capture Fisheries in Asia. The workshop was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 16 to 20 December 2002. An overview of recent experiences with microfinance programmes in fisheries and aquaculture in Asia is given and conclusions are drawn regarding future directions and initiatives in this field. The workshop was attended by 31 participants from eight South and Southeast Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. It brought together experts representing fisheries government institutions, financial institutions, academic and research institutions, NGOs, cooperatives, women‘s unions, fishermen’s associations and technical staff of foreign-assisted projects in aquaculture in the region. The publication concludes with two examples of successful FAO-executed projects that incorporated microfinance programmes in fishing community development in the Philippines and in small-scale aquaculture development in Viet Nam, with a special focus on gender and poverty alleviation. The case studies provide practical examples of how microcredit can contribute to the empowerment of women in fishing and fish farming communities, help alleviate poverty and contribute to the socio-economic wellbeing and food security of fishers and fish farmers.