Highlighting small-scale fisheries at MARE Conference 2025: Advancing the SSF Guidelines in research and action
The MARE Conference 2025 once again provided a space for scholars, practitioners, and community representatives from around the world to engage in dialogue on the complexities of marine governance. Among the wide-ranging topics discussed, small-scale fisheries (SSF) featured prominently—reflecting their crucial role in livelihoods, food security, and social-ecological resilience.
In alignment with the FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), this year’s presentations brought forward diverse perspectives and experiences that underscore the importance of equity, participation, sustainability, and human rights in SSF governance. These contributions not only enrich academic understanding but also support the global movement toward implementing the SSF Guidelines at local, national, and international levels.
This feature highlights presentations that exemplify how research and practice are working hand-in-hand to uphold the vision of the SSF Guidelines and foster inclusive, just, and sustainable futures for small-scale fishing communities.
Summary of the sessions:
Interactive governance: history and context Svein Jentoft ([email protected])
My presentation “Interactive governance: history and context” took place in a session celebrating the book: “Fish for Life; Interactive Governance for Fisheries” (Kooiman et al. Amsterdam University Press, 2005), co-authored by an interdisciplinary group of scholars from around the world- The governance concept is also in the SSF Guidelines but met considerable resistance among many state delegates during the Technical Consultations, who claimed it lacked a clear definition and instead wanted to use the more technical and narrow management concept. Especially with the support of CSO delegates, the governance concept survived.”
Protecting small-scale fishing communities in the Pacific
Hugh Govan ([email protected])
BlurbThe relative glamour of community-based fisheries management successes in the Melanesian countries should not distract from the increasingly urgent need for governments to increase investment in the aspects of resource management outside of the control of coastal communities. The governments of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu need to improve regulation of land-based development and extractive industries the impacts of which far outweigh the risks posed by climate change. Public administration at subnational levels of coastal fisheries extension services and enforcement of controls of export commodities need significant improvement and basic corruption-risk reduction to ensure the survival of exported species.
Resource: Govan, H., Lalavanua, W. and Steenbergen, DJ. 2024. Coastal Fisheries Governance in the Pacific Islands: The Evolution of Policy and the Progress of Management-at-Scale. In: Nakamura, J., Chuenpagdee, R., Jentoft, S. (eds) Implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines . MARE Publication Series, vol 28. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-56716-2_11
Multidimensions contributions of small-scale fisheries
Nicole Franz ([email protected])
Against the backdrop of FAO, Duke University, WorldFish and more recently Stanford University’s Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) Nicole Franz (Stanford University) facilitated a discussion with Ratana Chuenpagdee (Memorial University of Newfoundland and Director of TBTI), Eddie Allison (Principle Scientist, World Fish), Maarten Bavinck (ICSF) and Xavier Basurto (Stanford University) on the importance of documenting, understanding and acting upon the multiple dimensions of small-scale fisheries to inform policy, managment and resource allocation. Heated discussions with the audience touched on (i) if and how to engage with other ocean users around shared objectives, (ii) a need for ‘governance literacy ‘, (iii) a recognition that some not all that counts can be counted, and (iv) that some issues are not negotiable and need to be dealt with through a human rights based approach as called for in the SSF Guidelines.
Blue economy, justice and equity
Silva Gómez Mestres ([email protected])
Over the last 30 years, efforts have been made to introduce a tailored definition of small-scale artisanal fisheries in the Cap de Creus MPA (Northwestern Mediterranean) in order to bridge the gap between legal standards and social practices (Section 2.4 FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Small-scale Artisanal Fisheries). To achieve a balance between environmental, socio-cultural and economic outcomes in terms of justice and equity, collective action establishes marine stewardship initiatives that claim in return the respect of marine fisheries tenure systems, participation in co-management and the promotion of local fish product according to FAO voluntary guidelines (Sections 5.13, 5.14, and 5.15).
Punitive governance of artisanal fisheries in Colombia jeopardizes compliance with human rights-based approach
Lina Saavedra-Díaz ([email protected])
Colombian artisanal fisheries management historically embodies two patterns, one bottom-up approach with incomplete participatory processes (without the implementation phase of regulations) and the other with punitive governance that criminalizes artisanal fishers and restricts their traditional fishing practices through an increasing number of regulations formulated and implemented through the IUU fishing policy by top-down approach. We identify violations of the human rights of artisanal fishing communities in both governance models, and we call on the State to urgently comply with the democratic and human rights-based approaches established by the SSF Guidelines.
Changing work at sea for improving working conditions for workers
Melissa Marschke ([email protected])
This paper examines how Cambodian migrants navigate work in Thailand’s seafood sector, including securing papers to enable such work, the labour process at sea and in port, and family relations. We argue that fish work – which typically treats men in isolation from their families – is embedded in family relations. While Thailand’s labour and migration reforms have generally improved work on fishing boats, workers continue to hold significant debts, making it difficult to leave an employer, and it remains hard to change jobs post contract. Even more troubling, boat owners exploit the pre-processing labour of migrant women, paying minimal wages. Women, who do significant fish sorting work at port, operate in an informal, irregular, unregulated space. Ignoring the gendered, enmeshed work that takes place at sea and in port is a significant gap in our understanding of how to support decent work (formal and informal) within seafood supply chains.
Advancing transdisciplinarity as an epistemology for more ethical engagements with fishing communities
Mia Strand ([email protected])
Transdisciplinary research continues to be celebrated and promoted as a necessary solution for more sustainable and participatory ocean governance and science, particularly by the UN Ocean Decade. Across the world, researchers and scientists are increasingly applying transdisciplinarity in their engagements with fishing communities. However, there continues to be sustained differences in how people conceptualise and apply transdisciplinarity, and this work emphasises the importance of distinguishing between "partial" and "comprehensive" transdisciplinarity - where the latter makes efforts to ensure non-academic co-researchers form part of the whole research journey to ensure the work benefits them and addresses their priorities and interests. In fact, it is important to question whether transdisciplinarity is always the right approach, as it can be at danger of perpetuating extractive research practices, coloniality of knowledge and Western knowledge hegemonies. Specifically, this work invites researchers to ask critical questions of their work and intentions before embarking on transdisciplinary journeys, such as "Who is pursuing the transdisciplinary research, and for whom is this research being pursued? What or whose methodologies are we designing our transdisciplinary research from? How are these impacting the research? What languages are we using or not using? Who is excluded in this process?" - and considers opportunities to advance transdisciplinarity as an epistemology for more ethical research engagements with fishing communities.
More: https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae148
Transformative fisheries governance
Julia nakamura ([email protected])
In the session “Transformative Fisheries Governance”, Julia introduced international fisheries governance from an FAO perspective, explaining that such governance includes key institutions within FAO Governing Bodies – the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) and its three Sub-Committees on (i) fish trade; (ii) aquaculture; and (iii) fisheries management – and the regional fishery bodies established under the auspices of FAO, as well as various instruments of legally binding, non-binding, and technical nature. Julia then focused on the SSF Guidelines, endorsed by COFI in 2014, highlighting its critical contributions to the international legal framework for small-scale fisheries, especially in promoting the human rights-based approach in the fisheries sector. She further presented key legal developments and the work of FAO in support of the SSF Guidelines’ implementation, underscoring two books, which, inter alia, provide 16 case studies on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines (Nakamura, Chuenpagdee and Jentoft, 2024) and elaborates on the international legal framework for small-scale fisheries, focusing on their participation in international fisheries management, based on the ecosystem- and human rights-based approaches (Nakamura, 2025).
Potential synergies in local fish markets in the Canary Islands
José Pascual-Fernández ([email protected])
Jaime Bruquetas ([email protected])
In the Canary Islands the structure of the fish market does not generate equitable benefits and entails significant environmental costs. In alignment with the SSF Guidelines, the University Institute of Social Research and Tourism of Universidad de La Laguna is engaged in several projects aimed at enhancing synergies among stakeholders to unlock opportunities for local catches. Rethinking the value chains of small-scale fishing (SSF) fleets can help make the marketing of local fish more sustainable and support food security across the archipelago.
Adapting to changing markets to survive: struggles of small-scale fisheries in the Canary Islands
José Pascual-Fernández ([email protected])
Jaime Bruquetas ([email protected])
Exports of local tuna catches to mainland for distribution and processing deprive small-scale fishers of the opportunity to add value to their catches and improve their livelihoods. Innovative strategies that foster partnerships between researchers, small-scale fishers, and other stakeholders are needed to make the value chain more sustainable while ensuring food security on the islands. A partnership with researchers has led to a pilot initiative that connects local fish producers with school canteens, demonstrating that local processing is both feasible and an effective strategy for adding value to local catches.
Tensions in local seafood value chains in Croatia
Drazen Cepic ([email protected])
The presentation examined how globalization and tourism-driven demand affect fisheries in three Croatian coastal areas. Findings reveal weakened bargaining power of SSF fishers due to the loss of local traders and limited vertical integration, challenging SSF viability. Yet, opportunities exist through cooperatives and stronger fisher networks. Using participatory mapping and interviews, the study highlighted the importance of inclusive governance and equitable market access—key priorities of the SSF Guidelines. The research underscores the need to protect local livelihoods within changing value chains.
Blue (In)Justice and Small-Scale Fisheries
K.H.Kaumi Piyasiri ([email protected])
The presentation focused on the transition from a green to a blue economy in Sri Lanka, promoted as a pathway to sustainable growth and improved livelihoods, has in practice generated significant injustices for small-scale fishing communities. Displacement due to coastal tourism development, restricted access to traditional fishing grounds, environmental degradation, and exclusion from governance processes are among the key challenges they face. One of the most overlooked forms of exclusion is linguistic—policy and planning processes often rely on technical or inaccessible language, effectively barring fishers from meaningful participation. The presentation emphasized that the FAO SSF Guidelines offer an important corrective by providing accessible tools and inclusive frameworks that support the rights and voices of small-scale fishers. Their full implementation is critical to ensuring a just and sustainable blue economy in Sri Lanka.