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.

Resources

Course: Governance in small-scale fisheries

This course aims to contribute towards creating an enabling environment for implementing the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing sustainable Small-scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines) in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, by strengthening the capacity of government officials and fisheries practitioners at local, national and regional levels, and promoting the development of good governance frameworks.

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.

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.