When fishers are able to join together their voices and impact are stronger. Discover how membership, co-ops, associations, and  organizations can advocate on behalf of small-scale fishers and improve governance. 

Resources

Law and Governance Toolkit for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries: Best Regulatory Practices

"This Toolkit presents a methodology for assessing the reform needs to strengthen SSF governance, along with examples of model regulatory language for the core governance elements."
Fisheries policy, governance & management
Co-management
Fisheries management
Tenure rights
Illegal fishing and enforcement
Social development & employment
Fisher and fishworker organizations
Other resources & approaches
Capacity development
Participatory processes and stakeholder engagement

Strengthening organizations and collective action in fisheries: Towards the formulation of a capacity development program

This document provides a summary of the presentations, discussions, working group sessions and recommendations of the workshop “Strengthening organizations and collective action in fisheries: towards the formulation of a capacity development programme,” held in Barbados on 4–6 November 2014. The document also includes the nine in-depth case studies presented during the workshop and a contributed paper.
Fisheries policy, governance & management
Co-management
Fisheries management
Social development & employment
Fisher and fishworker organizations
Other resources & approaches
Capacity development
Participatory processes and stakeholder engagement

Cooperatives in small-scale fisheries: enabling successes through community empowerment

"Cooperatives in the small-scale fisheries sector are a way of maximizing long-term community benefits to deal with the threats of fisheries mismanagement, livelihood insecurity and poverty – harsh realities for many of the world’s small-scale fishers. Communities with successful community-based organizations are better off than those without (Ostrom, 1990). Successful cooperatives are possible, feasible and desirable and play an important role in community development. Cooperatives have the potential to empower small-scale fishers against environmental and socio-economic shocks such as catch shortfalls, sickness and death in their families, natural disasters and hunger. The following case studies show how fisheries cooperatives contribute to improving the conditions of small-scale fishers around the globe."
Fisheries policy, governance & management
Co-management
Fisheries management
Value chains & post harvest
Value add and processing
Social development & employment
Fisher and fishworker organizations

Participatory frameworks and stakeholder strengthening

FAO's course to develop an understanding of the actors and organizations involved in rural poverty reduction and the ways in which they interact. The importance of participatory framework, approaches and methods is highlighted, and the importance of a collaborative and inclusive way of working.
Fisheries policy, governance & management
Co-management
Social development & employment
Fisher and fishworker organizations
Other resources & approaches
Capacity development
Participatory processes and stakeholder engagement

Mexican Baja California FEDECOOP Benthic Species Territorial Use Rights for Fishing System

The Baja California Regional Federation of Fishing Cooperative Societies (FEDECOOP) is a Territorial Use Rights for Fishing (TURF) program in Mexico. FEDECOOP consists of 13 fishing Cooperatives that collectively manage 10 TURFs to promote sustainable harvests, increase market access and power and provide stability to fishermen and fishing communities.
Fisheries policy, governance & management
Co-management
Fisheries management
Social development & employment
Fisher and fishworker organizations
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