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Fish and other aquatic foods are often also the most affordable sources of animal protein. However, small-scale fishers, fish workers and their communities still face constraints in effectively participating in decision-making processes that shape their lives, therefore remaining marginalized, and their contribution to food security and nutrition remains under-recognized. The following two international instruments can help small-scale fisheries actors overcome these challenges: CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition (VGFSN) and Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).

The adoption of Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (Right to Food Guidelines) by in 2004 and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) in 2014 were two major achievements in the effort to ensure food security and nutrition.This handbook has been developed to support the joint implementation of the SSF Guidelines and the Right to Food Guidelines through an integrated approach and to increase policy coherence and uptake. The document provides an overview [...]

This flyer provides an introduction to the Advisory Group, which is a part of the of the Global Strategic Framework in support of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication (SSF Guidelines).The Global Strategic Framework is a partnership mechanism with an advisory and facilitative role. Its members can share experiences, mobilize resources together, develop synergies and coordinate efforts to advocate for policies and approaches that favour the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. It was developed on recommendation from the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI).The Advisory Group primarily [...]

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) play an important role in food security and poverty reduction. However, this role is not always recognized and many SSF communities remain marginalized, both with regard to resource management and from a broader social and economic perspective. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) are the first international instrument dedicated entirely to the immensely important small-scale fisheries sector. The project “Enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods through better policies, strategies and initiatives” is part of the FAO Umbrella Programme [...]

To support the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, seven additional sets of cards for an interactive educational card game will be developed, to facilitate dialogue and learning about small-scale fisheries and support the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. It will combine facts related to the content of the Small-Scale Fishing Guidelines (e.g. the guiding principles, fisheries-specific topics or inter-sectoral issues) with illustrations to aid conceptualization and contextualization of these topics

This brief provides an update on the status of the study and shares emerging insights on the need for better data collection and analysis, and additional monitoring capacity to improve our collective understanding of small-scale fisheries. This is critical to increasing government attention and improving policy responses and outcomes for the sector.

When Peruvian fisher, Karin Abensur, caught nearly 800 kilograms of fish early one morning five years ago, she calculated roughly how much she would earn. “I thought, worst case scenario, they would give me 6 soles (USD 1.76) per kilo,” Karin said. But when she returned to the port of Pucusana in central Peru, after four hours on the high seas, she was disappointed to be offered just 1 sol per kilogram – roughly USD 0.30. "They told me to take it, because no one would give me more.”  Read the whole story here.

Global time series have been maintained over more than 60 years. To meet diverse user needs, data from each statistical collection are available through various formats, tools and information products.

Bycatch – a term widely used to refer to part of the catch unintentionally caught during a fishing operation, in addition to target species, and consisting of the discards and incidental catch of vulnerable species – is considered one of the most important threats to the profitability and sustainability of fisheries, as well as to the conservation of the marine environment and ecosystems. Understanding the bycatch issue and adopting effective measures in order to reduce bycatch rates are essential steps towards minimizing the impacts on vulnerable species and ensuring both a sustainable fisheries sector and healthy seas.In the Mediterranean and [...]

This assessment, undertaken in November 2020, is a follow-up to the initial assessment undertaken in April 2020, and used the same methodology. This present paper provides a summary of responses to questionnaires circulated to regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and regional fisheries advisory bodies (RFABs) to determine the impacts of restrictions imposed by COVID-19, upon the management, production and supply of fisheries products from capture fisheries and aquaculture. Comparisons are made between the responses given in April 2020 in the early phase of the pandemic, and those given in November 2020, some seven months later. The objective is to provide [...]