Save the date!
April 27-May 1, 2026
Hua Hin, Thailand
Small-Scale Fisheries for Advancing Just Harmony, Young Futures & Regenerative Wisdom
Since 2010, the World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress has been bringing people together to amplify voices, build connections, and shape solutions for more sustainable small-scale fisheries sustainability.
This isn’t just another event – it’s an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and set the stage for future global actions to support viable and sustainable small-scale fisheries.
July 15, 2025
Call for abstracts opens
September 15, 2025
Abstract submission deadline
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October 15, 2025
Abstract acceptance notification
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November 15, 2025
Early bird registration opens
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December 15, 2025
Registration deadline for presenters
February 15, 2026
Early bird registration closes
Background
With all that is happening around the world these days, we have many reasons to be concerned about the future. Progress has been made in many fronts, but there are also some steps backward. In small-scale fisheries, the 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines this year is something to celebrate. Yet, when looking around, it is disheartening that only a handful of countries is implementing them. At the same time, what has been gaining traction is the importance of small-scale fisheries in several venues and forums, including at the COFI meeting in Rome in July 2024, when many member states made reference to them, recognizing their contribution, and the need to protect their rights to fishing livelihoods and to help secure their access to resources and markets. What is not evident enough is the commitment from governments to put in place the policies and institutions that support sustainable small-scale fisheries.
Why such a gap exists between ideology and practice?
Perhaps there is a mismatch in the way we think of small-scale fisheries and the idea of growth and development in fisheries and ocean?
Perhaps there is a disconnect in how we discuss food and nutrition security and the imminent role that small-scale fisheries play in fulfilling this goal.
Perhaps there is a lack of imagination about how small-scale fisheries can offer solutions to many of the global concerns, like overfishing and overcapacity.
Perhaps there is too much pressure from more powerful actors, like large-scale industrial fisheries and aquaculture, influencing fisheries decision-making.
Perhaps there is a lack of integration of wisdom from small-scale fisheries people in policymaking.
Perhaps there has not been sufficient opportunity for youth to share their vision and the future they want.
The #5 World SSF Congress will provide a platform to discuss these issues and co-develop solutions and actions for the future of small-scale fisheries, through three main themes.
Just Harmony
TBTI community has long argued that small-scale fisheries can contribute to several SDGs, including SDG 16: “Peace, Justice and Strong Institution”. Now is the time to provide evidence, looking especially at how small-scale fisheries can help address tension, resolve conflicts, and bring harmony to coastal and ocean space. Small-scale fisheries make important contribution to the society, but it is not always possible for them to co-exist with other ocean users, given the existing policies and regulations. Just Harmony emphasizes the need to look at equity and justice as key principles for fisheries governance. Harmony should not be thought of as reaching agreement or consensus at any cause. Rather, it is about being respectful of each other, and of the differences, and working together to sort out how to deal with the ‘best’ option that does not seem to be ‘just’, at least not from the perspective of small-scale fisheries.
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Young Futures
There’s no denying that young people are the future, but for the most part, they have been mostly left out of the conversation about what they want the future to look like. It is not clear, for instance, the extent to which ‘youth voices’ are incorporated in the ‘Future We Want’ document, which was the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012, and which led to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being promoted nowadays. One can argue that concerns about youth are being addressed in all goals, given that pursuing these goals would no doubt benefit not only the current but also future generations. Yet, one may wonder what the ‘future’ may look like if youth were the ones crafting it. The Young Futures theme explores youth thoughts and ideas about the future of the ocean, the fisheries, the coast, the communities and the society that they are part of. The future of fisheries according to youth is likely to be different from the present one.
Regenerative food system – a practice that focuses on restoring ecosystem and positive growth, prioritizing long-term viability of food production – is gaining popularity as a win-win way forward. Given the importance of fish as food, the concept is highly relevant to fisheries, emphasizing the need for best fishing and aquaculture practices, to achieve food security without harming resources, habitats and the aquatic ecosystem. There’s certainly a lot of knowledge and experience in fisheries, especially those with a long tradition and strong ties to communities and ecosystems. Regenerative food system is rooted in the ‘wisdom’ that these fishers have, not only about the fishing practices, but also the stewardship of the resources and the care for the ecosystem. Thinking about ‘Regenerative Wisdom’ in fisheries is a way to recognize the power of small-scale fisheries’ knowledge and wisdom in safeguarding resources and sustaining fishing culture and tradition. It is not only renewable energy that can give the planet clean power. Small-scale fishers do the same, in generating wholesome, climate-friendly food for local communities, and power the planet.
Small-Scale Fisheries for Advancing Just Harmony, Young Futures and Regenerative Wisdom.
About the #5 World SSF Congress
In 2018, as we gathered for the 3rd World SSF Congress in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we couldn’t have imagined that it would take eight years to meet again at the global stage. During those years, we organized smaller, regional-level congresses and symposiums but the upcoming 2026 congress in Thailand will be the first major international SSF congress since 2018, with the attendance of researchers, practitioners, small-scale fishers, civil society organizations, government and non-governmental organizations supporting small-scale fisheries from around the word.
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The #5 World SSF Congress will be held on April 27 to May 1, 2026, in Hua Hin, Thailand. The Congress is co-hosted by TBTI Global, with support from TBTI Hubs around the world and in partnership with other key organizations. Kungwan Juntarashote, Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand and Professor Ratana Chuenpagdee, TBTI Project Director, Memorial University in St. John’s, Canada, are the congress co-chairs.
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Goal
The overall goal of the congress is to facilitate opportunities for researchers, students, young professionals, practitioners, fishers and fishers’ organizations, environmental groups and policy makers to share the latest information, knowledge and updates about all aspects of small-scale fisheries and discuss collaboration and pathways for supporting sustainable small-scale fisheries into the future. Participants are invited to bring experience and ideas to the congress and contribute to the discussion about how to mobilize knowledge and support for small-scale fisheries.
Program
To foster interactive dialogue, the congress will follow an innovative and dynamic format, including community roundtables, policy forums and science café, taken place mostly as part of the plenary sessions. The congress program includes a one-day field excursion to a fish market and a fishing community on the east coast of Thailand.
About TBTI Global & the World SSF Congress series
The first World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress (WSFC) was launched in Bangkok in 2010, which provided a platform for the creation of the Too Big To Ignore (TBTI), as a Global Partnership for Small-Scale Fisheries Research in 2012. Since then, TBTI has evolved into TBTI Global (tbtiglobal.net), expanding its membership and activities, always keeping with its goals to rectify the marginalization of small-scale fisheries in national and international policies, and to develop research and governance capacity to address global fisheries challenge. The name ‘TBTI’ is known among fisheries actors, including governments and intergovernmental organizations, as the research center and knowledge mobilization hub for all aspects of small-scale fisheries, arguing that they are ‘too big to ignore’.
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Past congresses
To date, TBTI Global organized four World Small-Scale Fisheries Congresses, the last of which was organized in 2022 as a set of five regional congresses. For the 2026 congress, we are retiring the acronym WSFC and will instead be using the name ‘World SSF Congress’.
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For more information about the past congresses, visit TBTI Global website.
TD forum
Just like our previous congresses, the 2026 World SSF Congress will be a transdisciplinary forum for anyone interested in small-scale fisheries to participate in an interactive discussion about the world’s small-scale fisheries.
Become a sponsor
Support the #5 World SSF Congress and showcase your commitment to small-scale fisheries community. Partner with us to make a meaningful impact on the future of small-scale fisheries. For details, please reach out to info@tbtiglobal.net.