Supporting Small-Scale Fisheries

More than 90 percent of the world’s fishers are employed in small-scale fishing.

Nearly all are in developing countries. Yet, many of these fisheries are overfished and poorly managed — putting the livelihoods of millions of people at risk and threatening the health of the marine environment. 

We are working to improve small-scale fisheries through effective “co-management” that gives fishers a voice in decision making. 

Small-scale fishers have the greatest stake in making their fisheries sustainable. When they have a clear role in managing their resources, they can help shape better rules and have greater incentives to abide by them.

Empowering small-scale fishers

Key strategies include: 

• Training fishers and supply chains to actively engage in fishery improvement projects (FIPs) that advance co-management.
• Promoting co-management through government-led policy dialogues that enable fishers to have a voice in fisheries management at all relevant levels of decision making.
• Coordinating in-country support for co-management, including fishers, supply chain participants, civil society, and other stakeholders.

Supply chain support to co-management

This is the first time that entire supply chains, from fishers to retailers, have organized to promote the engagement of small-scale fishers in management. 

We will build on our proven model of mobilizing the entire supply chain to drive change and advance co-management in target small-scale fisheries.