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. They are the result of a long and intensive global bottom-up consultative process.
What makes the SSF Guidelines stand out is that they go beyond fisheries and highlight the rights of fishers and fish workers. In sum, they are about people, not just about fish. The SSF Guidelines are aimed at all actors striving to secure sustainable small-scale fisheries, to end hunger and poverty and strengthen human rights. They are a tool to guide dialogue, policy processes, and action at all levels, from local communities to global fora.
Get to know the SSF Guidelines
The principles in the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) address policies, strategies and legal frameworks concerning small-scale fisheries, but also other matters affecting lives and livelihood in fishing communities. They have a clear human rights-based approach, and they put people, rather than fish, in focus. The SSF Guidelines are global in scope, and they guide dialogue, policy processes and actions at national, regional and international level.
Latest news
FAO contributes to the global research dialogue on social dimensions, food security, and gender in sustainable fisheries at IIFET 2026
17/09/2026
FAO experts highlighted the importance of social inclusion, equitable access, small-scale fisheries stewardship, gender equality, and food security and nutrition in fisheries during the 2026 Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), held in Tórshavn, F...
From dialogue to action: three days advancing small-scale fisheries at the SSF Summit 2026
08/09/2026
From 4 to 6 September, small-scale fishers and fish workers, Indigenous Peoples, governments, researchers, civil society organizations and other partners came together at FAO Headquarters in Rome for the 3rd Small-Scale Fisheries Summit. Held immediately ahead of the 37th Session of the Commit...
Recent publications
Small-scale fisheries and the FAO Committee on Fisheries: understanding the process
02/07/2026
The FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) is a central platform for international policy dialogue on fisheries and aquaculture. Observers, including those representing small‑scale fisheries and civil society, play a vital role in informing and enriching these discussions.
