A regional workshop took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 26-27, 2025, focusing on the advancement of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). With a decade of implementation behind them, participants collaboratively sought to outline a pathway for a sustainable future for small-scale fisheries.
The workshop was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). It brought together 66 participants, including representatives from governmental agencies and national, regional, and global small-scale fisheries organizations across 14 countries: Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Viet Nam. Additionally, research institutions and other relevant stakeholders participated in the discussions, enriching the collaborative effort to enhance the future of small-scale fisheries.
Small-scale fisheries play a key role in the Asia region, contributing 47 percent of the region’s capture fisheries production and employing 46 million people with many more participating in subsistence fisheries. Four out of ten people involved in small-scale fisheries value chains are women, underscoring the sector’s significant role in gender equity. Small-scale fisheries are central to the socio-economic fabric of coastal and inland communities, particularly in developing countries where they provide food and nutrition security, livelihoods and cultural identity.
The FAO’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI) endorsed the SSF Guidelines in 2014, marking the first globally recognized framework dedicated entirely to small-scale fisheries. The 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines was celebrated in 2024, and the workshop in early 2025 served as an opportunity to reflect on their implementation in Asia. Participants discussed the uptake of the SSF Guidelines, shared best practices, and identified actionable pathways for future progress and sustainable impact.
During the workshop, participants acknowledged numerous initiatives in the region supporting small-scale fisheries, albeit not always aligned with the SSF Guidelines framework. Common challenges hindering the implementation of these guidelines included inadequate capacity and financial resources, a lack of data and knowledge, policy inconsistencies, insufficient tenure rights, competition from other economic sectors, gender inequality, unclear national definitions of small-scale fisheries, and the impacts of climate change. However, the workshop also recognized opportunities, such as increasing political commitment to support small-scale fisheries, the existence of customary practices and active small-scale fisheries organizations, and the availability of digital tools to enhance communication.
The workshop agenda included plenary presentations, break-out group discussions and special talks for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. The participants reached a consensus on several key recommendations:
- The multi-dimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development must be acknowledged and actively integrated into regional and national policies and strategies related to food security, nutrition, livelihoods, and the sustainable management of fishery resources.
- Better information on the contributions of small-scale fisheries is required to ensure that small-scale fisheries actors are included in decision-making on, and can benefit from, resource access allocations and social protection programmes.
- The sustainable use of fishery resources is fundamental to the livelihoods of small-scale fisheries. As such, co-management should be the preferred governance approach, complemented by the recognition of customary tenure rights to fishery resources and land, as well as an appreciation for the importance of the post-harvest sector. The stewardship role of small-scale fishers in promoting biodiversity and climate resilience should be acknowledged, and there are opportunities to incorporate small-scale fisheries managed areas into the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets, particularly as Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
- Small-scale fisheries are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, while contributing nutrient rich food with low-carbon emissions. Shifts in fish stocks need to be considered, and climate adaptation, safety-at-sea and early warning systems improved.
- The role of women in small-scale fisheries value chains should be acknowledged, and measures to promote gender equality must be implemented. This includes empowering women through mechanisms such as funding to enhance their participation in relevant policies and decision-making processes, as well as providing capacity development and training opportunities.
- Fair and equitable market access for small-scale fisheries should be enhanced by promoting value chain diversification, improving traceability to strengthen market confidence, and fostering partnerships and policy frameworks that facilitate market integration.
- Cross-sectoral collaboration must be promoted to ensure the effective implementation of the SSF Guidelines, as many priorities and needs of small-scale fishing communities extend beyond the scope of fisheries administration and encompass access to areas such as finance, social protection, and markets.
- Governments play a crucial role in implementing the SSF Guidelines and should develop and implement National Plans of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) in a participatory manner that includes the input and involvement of small-scale fisheries stakeholders.
- The Regional Advisory Group (RAG) and legitimate representatives of small-scale fisheries should be recognized as essential partners for governments and regional organizations in implementing the SSF Guidelines. Governments should consider incorporating the perspectives of RAG, including its integration into the Global Strategic Framework for SSF Guidelines implementation (SSF-GSF), when engaging with the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI).
- Small-scale fisheries actors, including those in non-formal sectors, should work to strengthen their organizations at local, national, and regional levels to enhance their representation in decision-making and policy processes. Showcasing evidence-based success stories from small-scale fisheries will be instrumental in driving advocacy and raising awareness.
- Regional organizations such as Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) and the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organization (BOBP-IGO) should provide technical and capacity development support to their members for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. Additionally, they should facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices among stakeholders.
- Research and academic institutions should contribute to the implementation of the SSF Guidelines through participatory and action research aimed at enhancing understanding of perceptions and representations of small-scale fisheries, empowering local communities, facilitating climate adaptation, and establishing success indicators. Additionally, capacity for implementing the SSF Guidelines can be strengthened by establishing a “Centre of Excellence in SSF Research and Development.”
- NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), and relevant partners should craft a compelling value proposition to promote support for small-scale fisheries. This initiative should aim to attract donor investment, engage uninvolved governments, and encourage the efforts of supportive governments in implementing the SSF Guidelines. Furthermore, these organizations should collaborate with small-scale fisheries to mobilize youth engagement in the sector.
- FAO should provide technical assistance to governments, regional organizations, small-scale fisheries organizations, and other partners for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. This support should emphasize the value of small-scale fisheries by enhancing data and information related to this sector. This could include promoting and applying the Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) approach and developing methods for estimating and valuing catches from small-scale fisheries.
For more information, please visit: https://www.seafdec.or.th/regional-ssf-workshop-in-asia-2025/
