Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries

in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication

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
04/04/2025

A Stakeholder’s Conference on Uganda’s National Plan of Action for Sustainable Small- Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) was held on 14th March 2025 at the Serena Conference Centre in Kampala....

22/03/2025
In Ifaty, a small tourist village near Toliara in Madagascar, a group of determined women has taken control of their future. Their story is one of solidarity, mutual support, and hope for a better tomorrow—not just for themselves but for their entire community...
Recent publications
25/02/2025

This report offers a comprehensive summary of the SSF Summit 2024, held at FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy, on 5–7 July 2024, including its purpose, format, presentations, discussions and conclusions.

21/02/2025

This volume provides a human-centered perspective, building on the expanding horizon from biological and economic management to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary aquatic resources governance.