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
Banking on themselves: Tanzanian women transform their fisheries businesses with community savings
16/06/2025
Haura Mohamedi Saidi processes and sells fish in the Muleba District of the United Republic of Tanzania. With six of her children still living at home, the 54-year-old needs a steady income.
“I used to struggle to sell small amounts of fish before. It was hard to sell even 10 tins of pro...
Women fishmongers in Madagascar’s villages harness the power of fire, ice and each other to improve their livelihoods
16/06/2025
Every day by the sea in Ifaty, a small tourist village in south-west Madagascar, a group of women gathers to talk. Their conversations often centre on family life – but just as frequently, they turn to work. All the women are fishmongers, and they regularly share experiences, problems, and sol...
Recent publications
Guidelines for the seaworthiness and safety inspection of small fishing vessels
10/04/2025
These guidelines for the seaworthiness and safety inspections of small fishing vessels have been developed to contribute to the prevention of accidents with small fishing vessels; reduce damage and loss in small-scale fisheries; and make commercial fishing a safer profession. The objectives of these guidelines are to facilitate the supply of insurance services for small fishing vessels worldwide, with an emphasis on
Guidelines for insurance value and risk assessment of small fishing vessels
09/04/2025
These Guidelines for insurance value and risk assessment of small fishing vessels have been developed to facilitate the provision of insurance services to the small‑scale fisheries sector worldwide. These guidelines complement the 2015 Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small‑Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).
Other relevant instruments
- FAO's Blue Transformation
- The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
- The Voluntary Guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food (the Right to Food Guidelines)
- The CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (the RAI Principles)
- The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure)
- The UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas
- The UN Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs)