Key Lessons and Next Steps for the Implementation of the SSF Guidelines: Making Legislation and Policies Work for Small-Scale Fisheries

The chapter provides a summary of the progress made by states and non-state actors in the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), based on the case studies presented in this volume. The chapter synthesizes what the authors say about how conducive existing laws and policies are for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines and the remaining gaps and challenges for implementation from the legal and policy perspective. Key lessons are summarized from across the chapter case studies, along with gaps and challenges. A discussion about how to support and promote the implementation of the SSF Guidelines is presented, following the three orders of governance. This includes how to strengthen alignment between the existing legal and policy frameworks with the principles underlying the SSF Guidelines, how to build governance capacity to support the implementation, and how to reframe the discussion about small-scale fisheries from one of problems to solutions. The chapter concludes by arguing for an integrated approach to interpreting and using the existing legislation and policies for small-scale fisheries. This proposed approach is essential for clearing the pathways for concrete change, making these instruments work better in practice for small-scale fisheries, and promoting action by states and non-state actors to ensure the SSF Guidelines go beyond an aspiring guiding instrument to one that is effectively implemented.