Kim Olson is a geographer, living in St. John's, with experience in conservation, climate change and sustainable resource management. Her work has focused on public engagement, collaborative research/processes, and policy development, particularly as they apply to climate change adaptation, protected areas, natural resource management, fisheries, and regional and rural development.Kim works with the provincial climate change office (Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment), where her work focuses largely on advancing initiatives related to climate change adaptation (e.g. initiatives to adjust planning, decision-making, behaviours and activities to account for existing and expected changes in climate). She is currently on leave from her role with the Province, and is doing similar work on adaptation with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Q: What are you currently working on within the context of small-scale fisheries?
While my current work is not directly focused on small-scale fisheries, I remain involved in activities linked to resource conservation. I am a contributing author to the recently released TBTI publication, Great Fish for a Change: Newfoundland Stories, an initiative that I helped develop to promote the importance of local seafood in food security for the province.
My work in small-scale fisheries has also carried over into aspects of my work, helping me see the value of small, and understand the diversity of ways that we can support our rural coastal communities – many of which are seeing the impacts of climate change first hand.
Q: If you could single out one or two most significant factors for securing sustainability of small-scale fisheries, what would these factors be?
Securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador presents an exciting opportunity to support our rural communities, which make up much of the province, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our fisheries. By supporting our small-scale fisheries to thrive, we can receive multiple benefits, which include enhancing ecological integrity (by reducing pressure on the marine environment), promoting rural economic development (by maintaining and creating meaningful employment), and producing a high quality and high value fish (through lower impact gears).
