Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF)

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) are artisanal and subsistence operations using small vessels, low-capital gear, and family or community labor, distinguished from industrial fleets by their scale rather than a single global threshold. They land roughly half of world capture catch, supply most fish for direct human consumption in developing countries, and employ about 90% of the people in capture fisheries. FAO adopted the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines) in 2014 to protect tenure rights, livelihoods, and food security, and SDG target 14.b calls for access for small-scale fishers. Data scarcity and under-reporting make SSF a large source of unreported catch.