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Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries

in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication

Empowering Pacific communities: FAO supports 5th Community-Based Fisheries Dialogue

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26/09/2025, Guadalcanal Province

The 5th Community-Based Fisheries Dialogue (CBFD5) was held in Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands on 25-26 September 2025, building on the previous 5 years of successful collaboration and knowledge exchange between the Pacific region’s local fishing community groups and representatives, civil society partners and other non-state actors active in coastal fisheries and community-based fisheries management (CBFM). 

The CBFD serves as a platform for these key groups to: provide advice on their needs and issues associated with the sustainable access and use of coastal fisheries resources, to the regional fisheries ministers and Pacific leaders;  exchange knowledge, experiences and lessons from community-based fisheries initiatives to strengthen efforts to maintain productive and healthy ecosystems, and their associated fisheries resources, which are critical to the wellbeing of over 10,000 coastal communities within the region, and; foster dialogue between governments and partners on the sustainable management of coastal fisheries resources in the Pacific region.

The dialogue thus plays a critical, independent role of amplifying the voices of community fisheries and local civil society organizations to the Pacific leaders via the annual Pacific Community (SPC) Regional Technical Meeting on Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture (RTMCFA), the SPC Heads of Fisheries Meeting (HoF), the Regional Fisheries Ministers Meeting (RFMM), and the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFL).

This year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provided financial support to CBFD5 in collaboration with Micronesian Community-based Fisheries Management as a Nature-based Solution for Coastal Resilience (MiCOAST) project, as well as technical expertise during two sessions of the dialogue, recognizing and supporting the role of CBFD in advancing CBFM in the Pacific. FAO’s support to CBFM aligns with the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), which explicitly call for participatory approaches to fisheries management. 

As part of FAO’s support, a Pacific CBFM Outlook Report will be produced in collaboration with SPC: “Sustaining and scaling-up community-based fisheries management in the Pacific Islands: Lessons learned and outlook”. The  report responds to government (e.g. Sixth Regional Fisheries Ministers Meeting (RFMM6) Outcomes)  and civil society priorities from CBFD meetings. Key themes emerging in the draft report were offered for discussion during two sessions at the CBFD5 meeting. These included:

  • Considerations for effectively scaling up CBFM (including a focus on monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement (MCS&E), traditional and local knowledge, and governance systems); 
  • Protecting community rights for local fisheries management through Artisanal Stewardship Areas;
  • Supporting income generation and livelihoods (e.g. through nearshore Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD) programs;
  • Increased government support and alternative financing.  

Following two days of intensive discussion, country representatives collectively agreed on several issues to focus on over the coming year in their respective countries. Priority issues identified were: Addressing weak traditional governance; Addressing poor fisheries data to inform management, and; Recognition of traditional knowledge in contemporary fisheries management.

The Outcomes and Actions Report from CBFD5 can be found here. To date, key outcomes of CBFD5 have been shared at the Pacific Islands Ocean Conference in September 2025 and the 8th SPC Regional Technical Meeting on Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture (RTMCFA) in October 2025. In 2026, the CBFD5 Outcomes will be shared to the Regional Fisheries Ministers Meeting.

FAO’s support towards these CBFM initiatives in the Pacific is made possible through the “Supporting a Blue Transformation: Implementation of the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture and Empowerment of Small-scale Fisheries Actors” project, funded by the European Union.

 

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