Fisheries policy, governance & management

How can you build a strong governance and management system for your fishery and community? Fisheries governance systems, formal or informal, help make and enforce rules about our fisheries. Co-management and participatory decision-making help ensure that fisheries management benefits local communities. Start here to learn about secure tenure and co-management and explore other resources in the sub-categories below.

Subcategories

Resources

Fish Baskets Infographic

Fish Basket Infographic: An initiative for the sustainable management of multispecies fisheries

Putting the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure and the Voluntary Guidelines on Small-scale Fisheries into Practice: A Learning Guide for Civil Society Organizations

This learning guide has been designed specifically to give civil society and grassroots organizations a deeper understanding of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). The aim is to enable the members of these organizations and their constituents, especially small-scale fishers and fishworkers, to use the VGGT and SSF Guidelines meaningfully and effectively to improve the governance of tenure in their respective countries.

Nassau Grouper in Belize - Story of Carlton Young

Listen to the story that veteran fisherman, Carlton Young, has to share about the need for sustainable fishing practices. In his years of fishing, he has witnessed a marked decline in the fishing population.

Workshop Report: Financing Contexts of Locally Managed Marine Areas in WIO

Workshop report from CORDIO East Africa on the sustainable finance assessment protocol and the financing context of locally managed marine areas (LMMAs) in Kenya

Guidelines for Supporting Fishery Improvement Projects

With the 2022 update, the Guidelines explain how FIPs create opportunities to drive change through collective public-private action to address human rights and labor rights issues. To identify social risks, the Guidelines recommend that FIPs use the Social Responsibility Assessment Tool for the Seafood Sector (SRA), a rapid assessment tool that FIPs can use to identify areas of risk related to social issues, or similar tool.

Piloto para incrementar el valor de la pesquería de merluza del norte del Golfo de California

Este piloto parte de la premisa que al mejorar el manejo post-captura de la merluza del Golfo de California es posible incrementar la calidad del producto. Con ello, se podrían obtener mejores márgenes de utilidad para las y los integrantes de la cadena de valor (i.e., producción, transformación y comercialización) de esta especie.

The relationship between the governance of small-scale fisheries and the realization of the right to adequate food in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals

This conceptual-level information note seeks to highlight the human rights aspects of the goals and targets relating to food security and small-scale fisheries (SSF), particularly from the perspective of the right to adequate food, and to demonstrate how this interrelationship plays out in the monitoring mechanisms established by relevant instruments.

Shark and Ray Recovery Fact Sheet 4 - Misool, Indonesia

Misool Island - an innovative conservation model incorporating tourism, community development and biodiversity protection has transformed a marine ecosystem.

Shark and Ray Recovery Fact Sheet 3 - Tubbataha, Philippines

Recovery of reef and tiger sharks in Tubbataha, Philippines: Three decades of conservation efforts at a remote Philippine coral reef complex – which have included plenty of trial and error as well as successes – have paid off, and today underpin one of the most important areas for sharks in the Coral Triangle.

Shark and Ray Recovery Fact Sheet 2 - Cabo Pulmo, Mexico

Recovery of tiger, bull, and reef sharks in Cabo Pulmo, Mexico: A bold decision from the local community – to give up their fishing rights and voluntarily extend the protection around their local reef – has played a critical role in the regeneration of one of Mexico’s most important shark hotspots.

Shark and Ray Recovery Fact Sheet 1 - Smalltooth Sawfish in Florida, USA

Smalltooth sawfish recovery in Florida, USA: Direct and indirect protection measures, public education and a long-term science-based recovery plan are bending the curve for a rare and iconic species in US waters.

Identifying Pathways for Climate-Resilient Multispecies Fisheries

These case studies – from Mexico, Cuba, and Chile – differ in data richness, governance structure, and management resources. The management systems are also in various stages of evolution from unmanaged to complete management of a single species but transitioning to multispecies management.

The Great Blue Wall: Good practices for marine and coastal conservation in the Western Indian Ocean

The aim of this PANORAMA Solutions in focus publication is to highlight existing good practices in the WIO region that contribute to the three main objectives of the GBW. Scaling such solutions across the region and integrating these into future planning and investments, as well as supporting knowledge exchange amongst key actors to build on “what works”, will all be key to achieving the ambitious goal of the GBW.

This publication focuses on 46 PANORAMA Solutions from the WIO region that provide a good representativity of the range of actions delivering tangible outcomes and that are promising for further development. We first classified them according to the GBW’s three components. We then identified their contributions to ecosystem health, human well-being or both, based on the description provided in the solutions’ impact section.

The Status, Achievements and Impacts of Collaborative Fisheries Management Approaches in the SWIO Region

The main aim of this report is to establish the status and achievement of co-management, contribute to the development of successful fisheries co-management in the SWIO region and share lessons learned from previous and existing interventions. The information generated in this report will be of invaluable contribution to the own going fisheries co-management interventions and future work on this topic. There are various fisheries co-management initiatives in the SWIO region supported by both government and non-governmental entities.

Policy Brief on Regional Minimum Terms and Conditions for Granting Fishing Access in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO)

The Regional Minimum Terms and Conditions Guidelines for granting fisheries access in the SWIO region were developed and adopted by the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) member states. This policy brief prepared by SWIOTUNA serves to raise awareness among her constituents and the general public about these regional MTC guidelines and urges SWIO member states to accelerate its implementation at national and regional level.

SWIOTUNA Success Stories Booklet

This booklet presents key highlights on the issues, interventions and achievements of SWIOTUNA and other relevant CSO and NSA in the management of marine fisheries resources in their respective countries and regions in the SWIO.