Unsustainable fishing practices put at risk the long-term viability of fisheries and livelihoods of fishers and fishing communities, which depend upon them. Over the last few years, FAO has developed several policy instruments which, alongside an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, aim to address unsustainable and harmful fishing practices. FAO’s work on the reduction of impacts of fishing operations facilitates improved sustainable fishing practices and reduced impacts of fishing operations on ecosystems within the context of the Code of Conduct for Responsible fisheries. FAO’s work supports States, and especially developing countries including Small Island Developing States (SIDS), by providing assistance to implement measures, and strengthen institutional capacity to address environmental and socio-economic impacts of fishing operations, based on guidance provided by FAO instruments such as the International Guidelines on the Management of Bycatch and the Reduction of Discards (2011), the Technical Guidelines to Prevent and Reduce Bycatch of Marine Mammals in Capture Fisheries (2021), the Voluntary Guidelines for the Marking of Fishing Gear (2018) and accompanying Suppl. 1 A framework for conducting a risk assessment for a system on the marking of fishing gear (2023), and Suppl. 2 Manual for the marking of fishing gear (2023)