This will support social research into Indonesian small-scale coastal tuna fishing communities that depend upon ocean resources for food, livelihoods, health and well-being.
Led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and in collaboration with the University of Plymouth, the University of Exeter, international partners and local stakeholders, the Blue Communities project will help build long-term research capability for marine planning in East and Southeast Asia over the next four years and, in doing so, support local coastal communities.
Through academic-stakeholder collaborations and community co-creation, this project will support the development, implementation and ongoing management of initiatives that promote the sustainable use of marine resources. This project provides a valuable opportunity for IPNLF to conduct research into the social and cultural dynamics of Indonesia’s pole-and-line and handline coastal tuna fisheries to inform marine planning and effort allocation processes.
Professor Mel Austen, Blue Communities Principal Investigator and a Head of Science at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, comments: ‘We are delighted to have been awarded the GCRF funding and we look forward to getting started on the Blue Communities project. An aspect of particular interest will be comparing the unique features, existing management strategies and local challenges for each of the case study sites and identifying successful initiatives and best-practice that may also be beneficial in other areas.’
Dr Alice Miller, Social Research & Programme Director at IPNLF says: ‘This is a very exciting opportunity for IPNLF to collaborate with leading, international institutions to further our understanding of the social and economic dynamics of small-scale tuna fishing communities, and identify how these dynamics can influence management on a local and national level. We look forward to progressing our understanding over the next four years for the benefit of the Indonesia’s small-scale tuna fisheries and coastal communities throughout Southeast Asia”.