TBTI activities at the MARE conference 2017

TBTI activities prior and during the MARE 'People and the Sea IX' Conference

July 3-7, 2017; Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This July, a number of TBTI members met in Amsterdam to attend the MARE 2017 conference and take part in the two events TBTI organized a few days before the conference. Below is a short account of these activities.

'Governability of European Small-Scale Fisheries' discussion forum

July 3, 2017; University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The main purpose of the forum was to exchange information and knowledge about SSF in Europe, as well as to discuss the regional synthesis and the ‘SSF Governability Index’, a new assessment tool developed by TBTI to help countries gauge what needs to happen in order to improve governance and achieve SSF sustainability. About 35 participants, including TBTI members and the wider audience, attended the event.

The forum provided an opportunity for participants to share their experiences on issues affecting the sustainability and governance of SSF in Europe and discuss the opportunities that are being implemented in dealing with these challenges. Participants also discussed the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, and shed light on the way forward in terms of SSF research and capacity development programs in the European region. In the second part of the event, representatives of four European initiatives that work with SSF introduced their programs, providing examples of the types of approaches that can enhance SSF governability and sustainability in this region.

Report: TBTI forum @ MARE 2017

The four initiatives represented at the forum included:

AKTEA - European network of fisherwomen’s organizations in Europe
Index Initiative - a center developing benchmarks to engage companies in delivering on the SDGs
LIFE - Low Impact Fishers of Europe
The European Fisheries Areas Network (FARNET) Support Unit

For more details about the event, read a short summary of this event in the 'Governability and Sustainability of European Small-Scale Fisheries' discussion forum report. The outcomes of the forum will be incorporated in the forthcoming TBTI European regional synthesis report.

TBTI Day @ MARE conference

July 4, 2017; University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The event, attended by about 50 participants, was free and open to both TBTI members and the wider audience. The participants had an opportunity to hear the latest news about TBTI, including detailed updates about the research clusters, regional activities and the ‘Transdisciplinarity in Fisheries’ training program. The second part of the event focused on the issue of sustainability and included a roundtable discussion about the upcoming 3^rd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress.

Report: TBTI day @ MARE 2017

Some of the most interesting discussions during this event focused around:

synthesizing SSF data on a global level
building capacity through transdisciplinarity
bridging the science-policy interface
leadership and collaboration
communicating SSF knowledge to different types of audiences, and
achieving SSF sustainability.

For more details about these and other discussions from the event, read a detail account of this event in the TBTI Day @ MARE conference report.

Launch of two new TBTI books

July 6 & 7, 2017; University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

One of the Too Big To Ignore project's key deliverables, The Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines: Global Implementation book, was launched during the MARE 2017 conference. The book explores the extent to which the SSF Guidelines can help improve the realities of small-scale fishing men and women globally and make their livelihoods and communities more secure. This edited volume is a major achievement containing 32 case studies contributed by 94 authors.

The MARE launch followed the special panel session organized by TBTI on 'The small-scale fisheries guidelines: Global Implementation', that included 12 presentations, which were directly drawn from the book chapters. We are especially pleased by the fact that close to 30 out of 94 book contributors were able to join us in celebrating this achievement. As stressed by the editors and contributors, the book is a collaborative effort that sends a strong message about the strength of the SSF community and the relevance of the SSF Guidelines.

MARE 2017 conference was also an excellent platform to launch another major TBTI deliverable, the book Social wellbeing and the values of small-scale fisheries. This volume uses social wellbeing as a lens to critically reflect on the ways in which small-scale fisheries are valued. At the time of the conference, the book was available in the e-book format; since then, the printed version of the book is also available.

Questions of value have long been a central, if often unacknowledged, concern in maritime studies and in research on fisheries. Social scientists have looked at changing perceptions of value as coastal regions and fisheries have industrialized, economic interconnections have deepened, ecosystems have been depleted, shifts in population have occurred, and governance arrangements have been transformed. Social wellbeing and the values of small-scale fisheries book advances discussions of values in fisheries by showing the rich theoretical insights and connections possible when value is grounded in a multi-dimensional social well being approach.

TBTI sessions at the MARE 2017 conference

July 5-7, 2017; University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The 9^th People and the Sea conference explored the nature of maritime mobilities and the ways climate and environmental change, economic development and maritime activities are affecting their direction and volume. TBTI held several sessions at the conference, which were organized through five different research clusters. These sessions include:

The Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines: Global Implementation. Session organizers: Svein Jentoft (University of Tromsø) and Ratana Chuenpagdee (Memorial University), 'SSF Guidelines' cluster coordinators
Small-scale fisher economies, small-scale fisher value. Session organizer: Derek Johnson (University of Manitoba), 'Diverse SSF values' cluster coordinator
Combatting IUU-Fishing and the Plight of Small-Scale Fisheries: a Blessing or a Threat. Session organizers: Joeri Scholtens (University of Amsterdam) and Andrew Song (University of James Cook), 'Transboundary interactions' cluster coordinators
Markets and market opportunities for small-scale fishery products. Session organizers: Cristina Pita (University of Aveiro) and Jose Pascual (University de La Laguna), 'Market Opportunities' cluster coordinators
Gender/Women Relations within Coastal and Fisheries Communities: From Past to Present. Session organizers: Katia Frangoudes (University of Bretagne Ocidentale), Siri Gerrard (Artic University of Norway), Danika Kleiber (Pacific Island Fisheries Science Centre, Joint) and Cristina Pita (University of Aveiro). The session is organized as part of TBTI 'Women & Gender' cluster in partnership with the Working Group Gendered of the Ocean Past Platform (OPP) Cost Action.