Five archetypes of small-scale fisheries reveal a continuum of production strategies to guide governance and policymaking.

The diversity of small-scale producers is often oversimplified, limiting their contribution to effective food systems transformation and positive impact on global development. Here we analyse data for more than 1,000 small-scale marine fisheries, representing two-thirds of the global marine small-scale fisheries catch, and identify five global archetypes defined by operational, socioeconomic, technological and post-harvest attributes. We then apply the Five Principles of Sustainable Food and Agriculture, developed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, as a guiding framework for policy recommendations that link Sustainable Development Goals targets with context-specific needs and apply to each of these archetypes. This approach recognises the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries and offers a low-cost, easy-to-implement solution that supports decision-making in data-limited contexts, particularly in the global south. Additionally, the approach is potentially transferable to small-scale producers in other food sectors, facilitating targeted policymaking for the benefit of millions globally.