Wildlife Conservation Society Community Fisheries Program
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
The objective of this project is to advance the Wildlife Conservation Societies Community Fisheries program. The project will be lead by Dr. Patrick Smallhorn-West. Based on decades of work in coastal communities, we have developed a strategy that crystalizes the goal shared by fishers and other coastal stakeholders worldwide: a vision of just and regenerative fisheries that equitably benefit nature and people. We are not only looking to slow declines in communities, coastal ecosystems and fisheries, but to reverse them to restore fisheries to their full social, economic, and environmental potential. Our current research workstreams are: 1. Mainstreaming equity and inclusion within all aspects of WCS work with community fisheries. This includes high level assessments of NGO policies and practice. 2. Monitoring and evaluation of all aspects of community fisheries – ecological, fisheries, and socioeconomic, in ways that deliver clear and locally actionable knowledge of the impacts of interventions. 3. Elevating community fishers and strengthening their organizational capacity to participate fully in coastal governance. 4. Practicing effective co-management – evaluating and integrating the latest research on fisheries co-management into best practice. 5. Incentivizing responsible fishing that addresses unsustainable practices such as destructive fishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and bycatch.
Date
01 Feb 2024 - 10 Mar 2027
Project Type
CONTRACT_RESEARCH
Keywords
Conservation;Small-scale fisheries;Non-Government Organization
Funding Body
Wildlife Conservation Society, James Cook University
Amount
276093
Project Team
Patrick Smallhorn-West