Working together toward sustainable fisheries good practice in participatory research

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Working together toward sustainable fisheries -
good practice in participatory research

• Steven Mackinson

www.gap1.eu
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Tension between society, science and policy
French fishermen angry at EU quotas blockade
ferry links with Britain
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The tension between society, science and policy

• 200 Angry fishermen from France and Italy clashed
  with Belgian riot police around the European
  Union quarter in a protest action demanding the
  EU do more to alleviate high fuel prices
• Brussels, June 4, 2008.

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Engaging stakeholders is important

• Lack of trust and confidence weakens policies
• Extends RD knowledge in specific ways that
  support well-defined needs

• Reconciling and integrating knowledge leads to
  better information

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Its not only what you do, its how you go about
it
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Stakeholder consultation
data
Stakeholders
Scientists
Evidence
Consultation
Transparency, openness, quality, credibility ????
Dispute?
Interpretation, views
Policy and Governance
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Stakeholder engagement
Dialogue
Stakeholders
Scientists
Participation
Transparency, openness, quality, credibility
Expert Knowledge
Policy and Governance
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What has GAP1 achieved?

• Initiated improved working collaborations
• Develop shared understanding
• Prepared hypothesis driven case-studies
• Planned participatory research activities
• Raised profile of stakeholder participation

Good practice in stakeholder participation
Research proposal (s)
EU meetings, RAC presentations, Newsletters etc
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Fundamentals for Common Ground

• Message from the Stakeholders
• The hardest thing for scientists is to explain
  to fishers the long term benefits. its
  important to learn about ways of working with
  fishers and how to convince them of the value of
  science in helping them to conserve the
  resource. they need to respect traditional/
  experienced-based knowledge and see that it can
  be used in a systematic way valuable to
  science. Scientists should welcome fishers to
  science events and come and talk with fishers
• Message from the Scientists
• Stakeholders need to respect the research
  process and results, even if it does not meet
  their expectations or provide the certainty they
  hoped for. they need to understand that it may
  not change anything from a political point of
  view... On a practical note, fishers need to
  try to welcome scientists on board their vessels,
  talk with them to understand the reasons for
  scientific sampling and appreciate the
  difficulties and time required for research"

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Stages in the participatory research process
Initiate process and catalyse others
Learn to work together
Plan and undertake the research
People and behaviours
Process maintenance
Strategic planning
Share and communicate outcomes
Review outcomes and processes
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Key Good Practice messages

• Identify and involve stakeholders from the
  beginning
• Be open and transparent in all actions
• Understand, respect and give equal weight to all
  forms of knowledge
• Adapt the process to the individuals involved
• Understand and manage expectations from the
  beginning
• Ensure effective and regular two-way
  communication at regular
• Maintain consistency of the people involved
• Highly skilled leaders are required to motivate
  and inspire others
• Communicate outcomes to stakeholders, the wider
  community, and that policy makers
• Create the right incentives for participation

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Good practice workshop
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Case-Studies 38 Regional meetings
OUTCOMES understanding, trust and commitment to
address problems of shared interest
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Tuna, FADs, behaviour selectivity

• Victims of the precautionary approach
• Re-define long-standing working relationships

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Habitats in coastal Spain

• Benthic habitats, distribution fishing grounds
• Integrating fishers scientific knowledge of
  coastal resources

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Implications of the 25 Nautical Mile Maltese
Fisheries Management Zone

• Reduce by-catch, discarding and habitat damage
  caused by trawling
• Develop a management plan

Hake Spawning areas
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Selective fisheries on whitefish in Lake Vättern,
Sweden

• Fishermen developed ideas with assisstance from
  scientists
• Democratic process with a winning project

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Sustainable crab fisheries

• Why do crabs move to deep water in winter?
• Reproduction size ratio and its link to
  sustainability

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Incorporating stakeholder knowledge on management
of herring

• Participatory modelling

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Targeted outreach for impact
OUTCOMES profile, positive feedback from EU,
improved awareness of the need and value of
participatory research, understanding the roles
of stakeholders and scientists
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Where Next?
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GAP 2 Integration of evidence-based knowledge
and its application to scientific advice
underpinning policy

• Making a difference to European fisheries by
  enabling participatory research between
  stakeholders and scientists

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