Much progress has been made with the implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF), but challenges for full implementation still remain in many countries, regardless of capacity and resources. In many instances, management and institutional structures present barriers to the implementation of EAF because they were designed to support systems in which sectors are managed independently. One of the outputs of the EAF-Nansen Project "Strengthening the Knowledge Base for and Implementing an Ecosystem approach to Marine Fisheries in Developing Countries" is "policies formulated consistent with EAF principles at national and regional levels". Related to this objective are activities to review available international instruments relevant to EAF; the preparation of a guide to aid the development of country and regional policy; the integration of EAF considerations into policy making in selected partner countries through stakeholder consultations/workshops; and support for the development of policy documents consistent with EAF in selected partner countries.