Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. At a Glance

Small-scale fisheries play a key role in ensuring food security and eradicating poverty. However, the overall development of the fisheries sector, as well as increased pressure from other sectors (e.g. tourism, aquaculture, agriculture, energy, mining, industry, infrastructure developments) with often stronger political or economic influence, has contributed to a decline in aquatic resources and threats to aquatic habitats, ecosystems and small-scale fisheries community livelihoods. Small-scale fishers, fish workers and their communities also face a myriad of other challenges and constraints, including unequal power relations, lack of access to services and limited participation in decision-making processes, which may lead to unfavourable policies and practices within the fisheries sector and beyond. The SSF Guidelines provide an important guidance tool to address the needs of the sector and empower stakeholders to secure sustainable small-scale fisheries.