Small-scale and artisanal fisheries contribute about half of global fish catches and employ millions of people. They are often rooted in local communities, providing food security and nutrition, reducing poverty. At a time of great environmental crises, small-scale fisheries provide hope. Yet their interests and contributions are often overlooked.
This gap was finally filled in 2014 in a watershed moment: the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) endorsed the ‘Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication’ (SSF Guidelines). It is the only international instrument dedicated to small-scale fisheries. This set of guidelines directs policy, from the local to the international levels, to support and promote the sub-sector.
The SSF Guidelines provide representation to the marginalized. For their secure tenure over fishing resources and space; for decent conditions of work; for the social development of fishing communities; gender equity and equality; for balancing universal human rights while respecting local conditions and traditions.
It resulted from a long-drawn democratic campaign. In the 1980s, small groups of fishers began voicing their concerns about the social and environmental crisis caused by industrial fishing across developing countries. They began collaborating. ICSF resulted from such partnerships.
The Rio declaration of 1992 had recognized the rights of traditional fishers and their contributions. In 1995 FAO adopted the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF). It recognized the contributions of artisanal fisheries, recommending their preferential access to fishing resources. FAO organized its first global conference of small-scale fisheries in Thailand in 2008.
Thereafter, several workshops hosted over 4,000 participants from 120 nations. In 2011, FAO’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI) recommended an international legal instrument to safeguard the rights of small-scale, artisanal fishers. The next two years were a participatory effort to create a consensus and agree on a final text. The SSF Guidelines were endorsed in June, 2014. The challenge now is for all stakeholders to implement the SSF Guidelines.
For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/site/ssfguidelines/home and https://sites.google.com/site/smallscalefisheries/
The negotiated Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) were endorsed by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at its Thirty-first Session in June 2014. The implementation of the SSF Guidelines is identified as a significant step for enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to nutrition and food security. As part of the implementation process, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Trust is organizing a sub-national capacity development workshop on fisheries management, social development and safety at sea—supported by FAO. The workshop will be held at Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Thrissur, Kerala, India in March 2023. Key representatives from panchayats, FWOs, CSOs and CBOs in Kerala are expected to attend. For more details, please visit: https://www.icsf.net/resources/lgs-workshop-icsf-kila-kerala-india/
The Africa workshop will be held in Accra, Ghana from 15 to 18 February 2023. The overall goal of the workshop is to strengthen the recognition of small-scale fisheries’ crucial contributions to global food security and nutrition, the importance of access rights in the sector, social development and gender equality. The workshop is also an opportunity to take stock of how the SSF Guidelines are being implemented in Africa to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and nutrition, and promote the tenure rights of small-scale fishing communities. The workshop will include 40 participants from community-based organizations, national and international fishworker organizations, networks of women in fisheries, and civil society organizations from across Africa. For more details, please visit: https://www.icsf.net/resources/africa-workshop-iyafa-2023/
Strengthening capacity of small-scale fisheries communities at local level in Brazil, Ghana and Nigeria to actively engage in securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in the context of the implementation of the...
Workshop on Sea Safety and Fisheries Management: Training and Capacity Development of Local Self-Governments 01-02 March 2023, Kerala, India Organized by ICSF and KILA The negotiated Voluntary...
Africa Workshop: IYAFA 2022-Celebrating Sustainable and Equitable Small-scale Fisheries, 15-18 February 2023 The Africa workshop will be held in Accra, Ghana from 15 to 18 February 2023. The overall...
National Training of Trainers (TOT) Workshop (Inland Fisheries) on the SSF Guidelines, Seva Kendra, Kolkata, West Bengal, 22-24 December 2022 The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the...
Organized by ICSF and CONFREM Latin America and the Caribbean Workshop IYAFA 2022: Celebrating Sustainable and Equitable Small-Scale Fisheries Cardoso Island, Cananéia, State of São Paulo, Brazil, 2-5 November 2022 In...
National Training of Trainers (TOT) Workshop (Marine Fisheries) on the SSF Guidelines Asha Nivas, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 13-15 October, 2022 The negotiated Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in...
Asia Workshop: IYAFA 2022-Celebrating Sustainable and Equitable Small-scale Fisheries, 5 to 8 May 2022, Bangkok, Thailand Organized by ICSF and SDF The Asia workshop is to strengthen the recognition...
National Workshop: SSF Guidelines and Women in Fisheries, India, Asha Nivas, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 8 to 10 April 2022 The negotiated Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the...
Je m’appelle Felicito Núñez, et je vais m’exprimer au nom du Collectif international de soutien aux travailleurs de la pêche (ICSF) et des signataires de l’Appel à l’action de la...
Observamos que la pesca en pequeña escala (PPE) ocupa un lugar destacado en el Área Prioritaria que la FAO dedica a su Programa de Transformación Azul. De acuerdo con los...
Illuminating Hidden Harvests: the contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development (hereinafter IHH) is a global study uncovering the contributions and impacts of small-scale fisheries through a multidisciplinary approach to...
In 2016, COFI endorsed a proposal for the Declaration of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture with the purpose of sensitizing public opinion and governments on these sub-sectors...
In the context of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022, FAO, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the collaborative research initiative One...
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, endorsed by the Committee on Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of...
This document outlines a roadmap for the transformation of aquatic food systems – ‘Blue Transformation’, providing a compass for the FAO’s work on aquatic food systems for the period 2022–2030....
My name is Felicito Núñez, and I am going to speak on behalf of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) and the signatories of the Call to Action...
COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, and years later there remains serious ongoing economic, health, and food system challenges. Global growth is estimated to slow in...
The Parties discussed the results of the questionnaire for the review and assessment of the effectiveness of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), agreeing that the questionnaire was a useful...
The main conclusion of this study is that the identification and marking of fishing vessels and the compiling and maintaining of this information in accessible national, regional and global records...
This document provides an overview of the intersessional work carried out by FAO on climate change in relation to fisheries and aquaculture. It reports on normative work in response to...