Civil Society Contributions to the Implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines in Mexico

Small-scale fisheries contribute about half of global catches whilst employing approximately 90% of the people directly dependent on capture fisheries. Taking into account the importance of this sector in the global economy, and its contribution to nutrition and livelihoods, in 2015 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). This chapter describes the contributions, challenges, and lessons learned from implementing the SSF Guidelines, from the perspective of a marine conservation civil society organization (CSO) that works on providing effective solutions for small-scale fisheries management in Mexico in direct collaboration with stakeholders. Mexico is a developing country, with a small-scale fishing force of over 74,000 registered boats, in which diverse fisheries face many challenges to secure livelihoods whilst simultaneously ensuring sustainability and adapting to changing environmental conditions. The SSF Guidelines represents a landmark document that highlights the importance of the small-scale fisheries sector and provides significant guidance to states and stakeholders for ensuring the long-term sustainability of small-scale fisheries. Finally, the chapter provides insights into and recommendations on how CSOs and other interested stakeholders can foster the implementation of the Guidelines.