Beyond Commodities: Centering Communities in Fisheries Improvement Efforts

ABSTRACT Small‐scale fisheries (SSFs) support local economies, contribute to food security, and provide livelihoods to millions of people worldwide. However, the SSF sector faces significant challenges, despite years of diverse interventions, including market‐based certifications and fisheries improvement projects. Many interventions have largely focused on narrow conceptions of environmental sustainability and overlooked SSF communities that target nonexport‐oriented resources, crucial for local food security and nutrition. In light of this, we developed a conceptual model for driving broader, comprehensive improvements in SSFs, including social, environmental, and financial conditions. Here, we present this conceptual model—the Community‐based Fishery Improvement Project—and lessons from its implementation in coastal communities of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Peru. These lessons learned offer valuable insights for small‐scale blue food systems, regionally and globally, where current governance and market‐based interventions are falling short of sustainability and equity goals.