Table 1 Potential policy actions for the five archetypes of marine small-scale fisheries identified following the FAO Five Principles of Sustainable Food and Agriculture^12,13

Market access support. Assist in bringing products to the market, while respecting subsistence, through infrastructure and value-added techniques.

Capacity for spatial management. Increase fishers’ capacity to manage resources using spatial tools (for example, area closures, TURFs) that recognize the spatial structure of nearshore stocks.

Recognition of informal work. Promote regulations that recognize subsistence, informal and unpaid work.

Community-led data collection. Promote community monitoring programs and gender-disaggregated data. Work with users to address local impacts of overfishing.

Customary law recognition. Promote tenure and customary laws and informal arrangements used by traditional communities, often established by women, in national legal systems.

Technology investment. Provide low-interest loans to enhance access to technology and equipment, such as refrigeration, engines and mechanization tools.

Conflict-free fishing zones. Advocate for preferential access areas to reduce conflicts with large-scale operations and mitigate the degradation of coastal habitats.

Post-harvest loss reduction. Improve protocols to ensure access to high-quality seafood and reduce post-harvest losses. Reduce vulnerability to price fluctuations through better access to market data and trading assistance.

Supply chain optimization. Improve market, processing and packing facilities. Work to secure greater organization and cooperation of fishers to improve their trading volume and collective bargaining.

Institutional capacity building. Strengthen local institutions, such as civil society organizations and decentralized fisheries agencies, for climate adaptation and fisheries governance.

Financial literacy. Build capacity to manage earnings, invest and access credit through small enterprises or cooperatives.

Seasonal management. Consider fisheries seasonality to assess their synchronization with species biological cycles and efficiently manage concentrated efforts in time.

Strategic distribution alliances. Partner with local and international distributors to access new (seasonal) markets and expand distribution networks.

Alternative livelihoods. Support initiatives to stabilize cash flows during off-season, through alternative income sources like aquaculture and ecotourism.

Adaptive management. Incorporate flexibility in management and legislation to address climate-induced changes or interannual variability, like altered migrations patterns.

Data-powered markets. Build market information systems that provide real-time data on prices, demand and supply in different markets.

Promote product differentiation and labelling. Support certification and alternative marketing that highlights the origin and sustainability of products to favour legally harvested fish.

Collective market intelligence. Foster cooperatives to give fishers greater leverage in price negotiations with middlemen and share market information.

Information networks. Strengthen stakeholder communication to facilitate the dissemination of market information and sustainable practices.

Tech-integrated local knowledge. Merge technical tools (for example, satellite tracking, mobile apps for catch reporting) and local fishers’ experiences and observations.

Eco-tech investment. Provide access to finance to invest in green technology, such as eco-friendly fishing gear and fuel-efficient boats.

Impact control. Introduce policies addressing overfishing and overcapacity. Conduct fishery socio-economic assessments and pollution concerns (for example, ghost fishing).

Cross-sector economic integration. Incorporate statistics that reflect the indirect contributions to gross domestic product to sectors like trade and transport.

Portfolio diversification. Support alternative target species and fishing gear or new commercialization methods.

Tech-driven regulation and surveillance. Address risks of excessive effort and potential conflicts with other actors. Combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing with satellite tracking and artificial intelligence monitoring.