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Social Protection for Fisheries and Aquaculture (SocPro4Fish)

Social Protection for Fisheries and Aquaculture (SocPro4Fish)

Social protection plays a key role in protecting, promoting, and transforming the lives of individuals and households in fisheries and aquaculture. Globally, an estimated 492 million people rely on small-scale fisheries for income and subsistence (FAO, Duke and Worldfish, 2023). 

FAO’s approach to social protection for fisheries and aquaculture forms part of the Blue Transformation Strategy. FAO recognizes the importance of social protection in safeguarding fishers' well-being and promoting sustainable practices. By aligning social protection with fisheries policy, FAO is developing strategies to ensure equitable access to safety nets, guided by Chapter 6 of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, which focuses on social development, employment, and decent work. To support this, FAO has developed a Framework for Analysis and a Diagnostic Tool to strengthen policy coherence. The framework highlights benefits and options for alignment, while the tool provides a methodology for assessing coherence and guiding interventions. 

Global evidence demonstrates that fisheries and aquaculture make important contributions across multiple dimensions of sustainable development, and that these contributions benefit greatly from integrated and innovative management approaches (Basurto et al. 2025). Similarly, FAO’s work on expanding coverage and access to social protection makes valuable contributions across multiple goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, including: 

  • Social Protection Systems for all (SDG 1.3)
  • Build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations to climate-related extreme events and other shocks (SDG 1.5)
  • Ensure equal opportunities and end discrimination (SDG 5.7)
  • Promote economic growth (SDG 8.1)
  • Support the creation of decent jobs (SDG 8.3)
  • Reduce income inequality (SDG 10.1)
  • Promote social inclusion (SDG 10.2)
  • Ensure sustainable management of marine ecosystems and access rights for small-scale fisheries (SDG 14.4, 14.7, 14.9, 14 b1) 

  

This approach aims to promote social development and strengthen the resilience of fishing communities worldwide while providing access to the right policies and instruments to promote a sustainable and equitable Blue Transformation.

Highlights
Beyond the catch: Advancing towards dignity and decent work for fishers and fish workers in the sector
21/11/2025

Every year on 21 November, the world celebrates World Fisheries Day to recognize the crucial contribution of fishers and fish workers to food security,...

Just Blue Transformation: Addressing Child Labour in Fisheries and Aquaculture
16/10/2025

Child labour continues to affect millions of children globally, with 61% involved in agriculture, including fisheries and aquaculture. This session...

Accelerating global action to eliminate child labour in the fisheries and aquaculture sector
16/10/2025

On World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) launched a new...

Celebrating 80 Years of FAO: Recognizing excellence in aquatic food systems
30/06/2025

To celebrate its 80th anniversary, FAO has launched a recognition initiative for individuals or entities that have made significant contributions to...

Key publications
Policy guidance on the elimination of child labour in fisheries and aquaculture
2025

Child labour continues to affect fisheries and aquaculture, exposing children to hazardous work, exploitation and risks to their education and development....

Insurance for small-scale fisheries
2024

This document describes why insurance is important for small-scale fisheries. It discusses the benefits, challenges and options for widening access...

Action Plan for Safety, Social Protection and Decent Work in Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) Region
2024

Fishing is one of the world's most dangerous forms of occupation in the world. Risks of accidents and deaths at sea are even more profound within the...

Guidance on addressing child labour in fisheries and aquaculture
2013

Child labour is a major concern in many parts of the world and it is estimated that there are some 215 million child labourers worldwide. Aggregate...

Tackling child labour in fisheries and aquaculture
2021

The global aquatic food industry faces scrutiny for environmental sustainability and poor labor conditions, including forced and child labor. Research...

Policy Brief
Widening access to social protection
2024

In Colombia, Paraguay and Tunisia, FAO implemented a project called Social Protection for Fisheries and Aquaculture (SocPro4Fish) to build the institutional...

Report of the FAO workshop on social protection for the fisheries and aquaculture sector: Brasília, Brazil, 28 November–1 December 2023
2024

This workshop report covers the discussions held during the workshop on social protection for the fisheries and aquaculture sector, which takes place...

Shock-sensitive Social Protection in the context of climate variability and its impacts on small-scale fishers and fish farmers
2024

Este recurso ha sido elaborado con el objetivo de proporcionar herramientas y estrategias clave para fortalecer la resiliencia de las comunidades pesqueras...

Infographic
Social protection for fisheries and aquaculture (SOCPRO4FISH): Tunisia
2024

The “Social Protection for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector” (SocPro4Fish) project seeks to enhance adequate social protection coverage in the fisheries...

Infographic
Social protection for fisheries and aquaculture (SOCPRO4FISH): Colombia
2024

The “Social Protection for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector” (SocPro4Fish) project seeks to enhance adequate social protection coverage in the fisheries...

Infographic
Social protection for fisheries and aquaculture (SOCPRO4FISH): Paraguay
2024

The “Social Protection for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector” (SocPro4Fish) project seeks to enhance adequate social protection coverage in the fisheries...

Plan of action for enhanced safety, decent work and social protection in the fisheries sector of the Bay of Bengal Programme region (BOBSAFE)
2023

This plan addresses the safety of vessels and equipment, underscoring the importance of standard designs and construction plans for fishing vessels....

Social protection for fisheries and aquaculture (SocPro4Fish) in Colombia
2023

This brochure provides a comprehensive overview of social protection, introduces the SocPro4Fish project, outlines its objectives, and highlights the...

Protecting Lives and Improving Livelihoods: Enhancing Social Protection through Occupational Health and Safety in WECAFC's Dive Fisheries
2023

Divers from the WECAFC region come in all profiles, nationalities, and ages. In Honduras and Nicaragua, most of an estimated total of 9,000 divers are...

Expanding social protection coverage for fishers and fish workers in Tunisia
2023

Meet Abdessalem, Taher, and Marbouka, fishers from Tunisia. Through their voices, discover their work, challenges, and the obstacles they face in accessing...

Social Protection in the Fisheries and Aquaculture sector
2021

This video is part of the “Social Protection in Rural Areas: building responsive systems in the context of Covid-19” series at the FAO e-learning academy....

Self-paced course on addressing the climate change and poverty nexus
2023

This course is intended to strengthen awareness, motivation, understanding and capacity among regional and national partners (IGOs, governments, NGOs,...

Colombia's sea women net a better deal
2023

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, and its partners including the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, NORAD,...

Podcast - Social protection, sustainability and fisheries
2022

The UN General Assembly has declared 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) to enhance global awareness...

Data & Tools
Strengthening coherence between social protection and fisheries policies. Diagnostic tool.
2022

This FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper is aimed primarily at policymakers, development partners, civil society organizations and practitioners...

Socioeconomic impact evaluation of unemployment insurance for small-scale fishers in Brazil (Seguro-Defeso)
2023

For the first time since the benefit was introduced 30 years ago, a study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),...

Evaluation of the impact of unemployment insurance on the socioeconomic conditions of small-scale fishers
2023

Seguro Desemplego do Pescador Artesanal, or insurance-defeso, is a program related to one of the management measures for fishing in Brazil, the Defeso,...

Strengthening coherence between social protection and fisheries policies: Framework for Analysis and Action
2022

The Technical Paper provides a method for mapping and understanding the state of coherence between fisheries policies and social protection within a...

Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication
2015

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) represent...

Economic inclusion and social protection to reduce poverty
2020

This action sheet is part of a series of action sheets developed under the seven key priority areas of the FAO COVID-19 Response and Recovery programme,...

Promoting greater coherence between small-scale fisheries and social protection policies, mechanisms and programs in Cambodia - Research Summary
2019

The aim of this document is to make policy-relevant suggestions related to the following questions: 1) How can vulnerable fisher-farmers' access to...

FAO social protection framework
2017

FAO Social Protection Framework presents the Organization’s vision and approach to social protection. FAO recognizes the critical role social protection...

Social protection in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean
2015

In this publication, FAO presents a diagnosis of the risks and specific needs of artisanal fishers and fish-farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean,...

The role of social protection in the recovery from COVID-19 impacts in fisheries and aquaculture
2021

Food systems were severely hit by COVID-19 and the related restrictions to the movement of people and goods. In fisheries and aquaculture, the socio-economic...

Social protection for small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean region - Policy brief
2019

This policy brief presents the outcomes of a study commissioned by the FAO and the GFCM on available social protection systems in five countries in...

Social protection for small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean region
2019

This study commissioned by the FAO and the GFCM reviewed available social protection systems in five countries in the Mediterranean (Albania, Egypt,...

Nota de política
2020

Los mecanismos de financiamiento externo resultan esenciales para la sostenibilidad de los micro y pequeños productores agropecuarios y acuícolas. En...

Promoting safety and decent work in fisheries through the application of international standards
2020

This brochure gives a summary overview of four international binding fisheries instruments (conventions and agreements) that promote the safety of fishing...

How is COVID-19 affecting the fisheries and aquaculture food systems
2020

The full range of activities required to deliver fish and fish products from production to the final consumer is subject to indirect impacts of the...

Social protection and sustainable natural resource management: initial findings and good practices from small-scale fisheries
2015

The paper explores how social protection interventions can be used to reduce the vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of households and communities...