TBTI special sessions on SSF at the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum
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TBTI symposium on SSF in Asia-Pacific
TBTI special sessions on SSF at the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (AFAF)
TBTI is planning to organize two special sessions at the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, which will be held on August 3-7, in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme of the 11th AFAF is ASEAN Seafood for the World & Asian Food Security for the World. Presentations and discussion will be organized into six thematic sessions plus the 6th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries , which will be run in parallel.
The first TBTI session, titled Current governance issues in the inland fisheries of Asia-Pacific is organized by the TBTI 'Inland Fisheries' cluster. The second session, titled Fisheries and Food Systems: Cross-pollinations and Synthesis is organized by the TBTI 'Fish-as-food' cluster. The descriptions of both sessions are available below.
If you would like to present in these sessions, you can send us your abstract (300 words) to toobigtoignore@mun.ca. When submitting your abstract, please follow the exact guidelines set by AFAF (http://www.enaca.org/modules/afaf/abstracts.php) and make sure to indicate the title of the session you are applying to. The deadline to submit the abstract to toobigtoignore@mun.ca is March 25.
Session: Current governance issues in the inland fisheries of Asia-Pacific
Inland fisheries are ubiquitous and provide multi-pronged and significant benefits to society. They are also predominantly small-scale, as they appear in diverse forms of capture and culture practices. However, the current issues of inland fisheries that reveal both bright spots and deteriorating conditions are insufficiently known, risking underestimation of their merits, diverting policy and research attention, and inviting further marginalization of the sector. As part of a broader effort to generate a more coherent understanding of the sector’s integral functions as well as the key factors that pose threats to its resilience, this special session aims to gather and reflect on the varied experiences of governance challenges faced in the diverse settings of inland fisheries in the Asia-Pacific. We particularly encourage presentations that examine inter-sectoral or within-fishery conflicts and synergy, transboundary or cross-scale governance, and multiple values of inland fisheries to join our session. Other wider topics pertaining to inland fisheries governance will also be a welcome addition. Overall, this session seeks to highlight useful lessons for alleviating challenges and thus improving the governance of inland fisheries.
Session: Fisheries and Food Systems: Cross-pollinations and Synthesis
While cross-pollination among fisheries and food systems/food security literatures has been limited, studies suggest that food security of fishing communities and the sustainability of fish populations and aquatic ecosystems are linked outcomes. Fisheries have been mostly left out of the food systems discourse, however, and vice versa, and at the peril of developing more sustainable solutions for global food security. This session presents a survey of the current state of science on fisheries, food security and food systems, and brings forth perspectives on how to better link and integrate fisheries in food systems discourse.
TBTI symposium on SSF in Asia-Pacific region
Following the 11th AFAF, TBTI is organizing a three-day symposium, from August 6-9, to focus on aspects of SSF that are relevant for the Asia- Pacific region, with special emphasis on Inland Fisheries and Fish as Food clusters of TBTI. The symposium is an opportunity to develop a research agenda and capacity development program needed for promoting sustainable SSF and for the implementation of the SFF Guidelines in the region and elsewhere. Detailed information about the symposium will be available on our website in the upcoming months. People from outside the region are welcome to attend.
If you would like to attend the TBTI symposium, send us an email to toobigtoignore@mun.ca expressing your interest. Your expression of interest should contain a short description of the topic you would like to present or discuss at the symposium (100 words max). The deadline to send the expression of interest is now closed.
Funding opportunities
Anyone meeting the following criteria can apply for partial funding from TBTI to participate in the 11th AFAF and the TBTI symposium.
1. Create at least one SSF profile in ISSF using the ’20 Questions about SSF’, with at least 75% completion (https://dory.creait.mun.ca); and
2. Submit information about SSF that you are familiar with, using one or several rapid assessment surveys developed by TBTI research clusters. The complete list of surveys can be found below. Note that the first eight questions in each survey are the same as those in the ’20 Questions’. If you’re doing the ‘SSF profile’ and the rapid survey about the same fisheries, you will not need to complete the first eight questions in the survey again. Just indicate to us and we’ll link the data.
If you meet the above criteria, send us an email to toobigtoignore@mun.ca, indicating the type of financial assistance you require. Funding is limited so please apply as early as you can. Please note that funding priorities will be for active members of the TBTI clusters, fishers and fishers’ organizations, students and early career-scientists contributing research and information to TBTI, and for those looking for partial support to supplement funding that you already have secured.
List of TBTI rapid assessment surveys:
a) ‘Rapid assessment of SSF values’
b) ‘Rapid assessment of market opportunities’
c) ‘Economic viability comparative assessment’
d) ‘Rapid assessment of fish consumption’
e) ‘Rapid assessment of SSF gear impact on bycatch and habitat’
f) ‘Rapid assessment of SSF stewardship activities’
g) ‘Rapid assessment of issues and responses’
