The Regional Conference on food security and income generation through reduction of losses and waste in fisheries was held from 15 to 17 December 2013 at the Wissal Hotel, Nouakchott, Islamic Republic of Mauritania. It was jointly convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Center for Marketing Information and Advisory Services for Fishery Products in the Arab Region (InfoSamak) and the Ministry for Fisheries and Maritime Economy. The 78 participants included representatives from 14 countries, civil society organizations, fishers’ associations and research institutes. The objectives were to: i)  review current fisheries practices in the Near East and North Africa region; ii) examine case studies of best practices to identify suitable options for the region; and iii)  identify policy-level and operational-level interventions to improve food security and income generation by reducing losses and waste. The conference identified various tools and practices that would reduce fishery losses and waste through the generation of accurate baseline data and loss-reduction initiatives. Case studies of best practices in five countries were considered, after which group discussions focused on: i) best practices for minimizing post-harvest losses and waste; ii) improved utilization of fishery by-products to minimize waste; iii) approaches based on value chains for minimizing fishery losses and waste; and iv) best practices for managing fish bycatches and discards. The conference drafted and adopted the Nouakchott Declaration, which includes a call to implement policies and legislative frameworks supporting a participatory approach to fisheries management and to create an enabling environment for value-chain actors in small-scale fisheries. The Declaration calls on countries in the region to build the capacities of resource users, managers and post-harvest stakeholders and service providers with a view to reducing losses and waste in the fish supply chain.