Final Virtual Conference Ocean Governance: Action Insights and

Foreshadowing Challenges 19-20, November 2020

Over the past years, the subject of governing oceanic systems and coastlines has moved to the

center of European political and economic interests and policy debates. In November 2016, the

European Commission and the High Representative of the European Union adopted a Joint

Communication on ‘International Ocean Governance: an agenda for the future of our oceans’. Since

then, this Joint Communication has significantly guided the EU’s international policy approach and

forms an integral part of the EU’s response to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable

Development. At the outset of this deepened ocean agenda stood the aim to move from a sector-

based approach to a more coordinated approach across thematic sectors such as fisheries, transport

or mining, as well as across national, regional, international scale levels. Principles such as

multilateral dialogue and the building of strong partnerships for regional and international

cooperation thus formed from early on a key part of the EU’s ocean agenda.

The Ocean Governance for Sustainability Virtual Conference on the 19-20th of November 2020 will

reflect on the EU’s ocean agenda over the past years, by bringing together contributions on a range

of pressing ocean governance issues in the European context. The conference does not aim to only

summarize and present the discussions within the COST-funded network over the past four years,

but instead places the emphasis on upcoming, hot and most challenging topics of academic

scholarship and policy-making in the field of governing our oceans. The panels thus range from more

thematically oriented panels coming out of the working groups of the network to panels tackling

arising ocean governance challenges (e.g. equity, the development of a Blue New Deal, integrative

regional approaches and strategies, Emerging Infectious Diseases and the ocean), as starting points

in order to carry these discussions into the network. This conference addresses the governance of

the oceans from multiple approaches and diverse disciplinary traditions, including empirical and/or

conceptual contributions focusing on Europe and the wider world.

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Keynote Speakers

Prof. Edward Allison (Ph.D.): "Equity and justice in the Blue Economy"

Associate Professor, School of Marine & Environmental Affairs, University of Washington. Research

Director, Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus and Principal Scientist at Worldfish.

Thursday 19th November, 13:15-13:45

Prof. Yoshitaka Ota (Ph.D.): “Ocean equity: why should we care?”

Assistant Professor, School of Marine & Environmental Affairs, University of Washington. Director of

Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center

Friday 20th November, 13:15-13:45

Kristina Gjerde: “Advancing towards effective and equitable governance of the global ocean beyond

national boundaries: progress, prospects and next steps”

High Seas Policy Advisor, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Global Marine and Polar

Program

Friday 20th November, 17:30-18:00

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Panels

1. Traversing oceanic and coastal space

Convenor: Maarten Bavinck (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Thursday 19th November, 14:00-15:00

Oceans are recognized as constituting realms with unique materialities (Steinberg 2003). Such

materialities carry through into the mobilities of people depending on oceans for a living, as well as

into the biological resources that they harvest or exploit. The latter play an important role in the

food security of poor populations. But the mobilities that characterize oceans are also the object of

governance action: governments and other actors formulate and implement rules to facilitate

certain mobilities and obstruct others. This panel deals with a variety of such mobilities, as studied in

different parts of the Global South.

1) Trading-off for Blue Justice: a case of small-scale migrant fishers in Sri Lanka

Dilanthi Koralagama (University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka)

Emerging economic concerns and coast-based development activities such as tourism,

industrialization, transboundary poaching, and technological advancements are challenging the

principles of Blue Justice in Sri Lanka’s coastal governance. Following monsoonal weather patterns,

small-scale fishing communities along the west coast are used to migrating elsewhere for six months

periods to continue with their fishing livelihoods. This is a centuries old practice, which enables

wellbeing, networking, food security, income generation, and livelihood security for men and

women alike. At present, however, this tradition has become jeopardized, as the historical rights of

the seasonal migrants are questioned. Based on qualitative data from two migrating fishing

communities in Negombo (Gampaha District) and Chilaw (Puttalam District), this chapter examines

the prevailing situation at the migratory site from the angle of governance. Focusing on latent and

overt conflicts that affect Blue justice, the chapter elaborates on access-based restrictions for

resources, markets, and labour; technology-based hindrances; and institutional barriers to fair and

equal opportunities for marginalized migrant fishers in Sri Lanka.

2) Negotiating marine boundaries – evidence from the Colombia versus Nicaragua case.

Catalina Garcia (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Maritime boundary delimitation tents to disregard sociocultural aspects as a critical dimension for

the delimitation process and state policies delegitimize communities’ cross-border mobility, both

harming the island and coastal population livelihoods. My research project on boundary-making in

the Western Caribbean demonstrates that (in)formal agreements are developed by governance

actors as a response, in order to legitimize sociocultural living practices and cross-border mobility,

thus generating maritime boundaries porosity. While state policies tighten maritime borders

through naval patrolling and policy instruments, community organizations, fishing companies,

educational institutions, and local government representatives find ways to consolidate semi-formal

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cross-borders alliances. With them, governance actors on both sides of the border can hold legal

sailing permits to visit friends and relatives; or transport goods without the products being seized by

the port authorities. The temporary alliances might also be of a bigger scale and include education

agreements or aimed to ship food and health supplies. As such, these transboundary collaborations,

which have not been sufficiently studied in the ocean governance field, should be formally

recognized. Potentially, they could reduce humanitarian crises such as the one experienced in the

islands by COVID-19, as the lack of supplies shipped from the mainland threatens food security in the

islands.

3) Small pelagic fish value chain governance and food security in Ghana

Anderson Kwasi Ahwireng, Maarten Bavinck (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Edward

Ebo Onumah (University of Ghana, Ghana)

Although small pelagic fish chains contribute significantly to the food security, health and

development of poor urban consumers in developing countries, limited attention has been given to

their role. Moreover, most work on seafood is about production and little about consumer food

security, and therefore there is a lack of understanding of how governance of the fish chains affect

consumer food security outcomes. This paper examines the governance structures and power

relations in the post-harvest chains of small pelagics that may influence fish food security of poor

consumers in the cities of Accra and Tamale. Using structured questionnaires, primary data from 200

fish chain actors - mainly processors, wholesalers and retailers - was collected, and relevant external

actors belonging to state and non-state institutions interviewed. The findings reveal spot market as

the main governance type dominating fish supply chains (cf. Gereffi and Fernandez-Stark 2015).

However, relational governance has also emerged over time, based on trust and family ties.

Institutional governance of small pelagic fish chains is weak, however, and biased towards the

harvesting sector; less attention is given to the post-harvest segment of the chains. This has serious

food security implications for consumers, especially with regard to the quality of fish products.

4) How fish wholesale markets matter for urban food security: Evidence from Chennai, India

Karuppiah Subramanian, Maarten Bavinck, Joeri Scholtens (University of Amsterdam, The

Netherlands), Holly M. Hapke (University of California, Irvine, United States), Amalendu Jyotishi

(Azim Premji University, India)

The vital role of fish and fisheries in addressing malnutrition is gaining recognition. One pertinent

question, however, regards the extent to which low-income households are actually able to access

fish products. This paper investigates the contribution of low-price fish to food security from the

viewpoint of fish markets in the Global South. It zooms in on the burgeoning city of Chennai, India,

where marine fish plays a crucial role in the diets of its poor population. Building on one-and-a-half

years of fieldwork research in the pre-COVID-19 period, the paper analyses the performance of one

of its largest fish wholesale markets, Vanagaram, in relation to the four commonly recognized pillars

of food security. Results demonstrate that this one market is a major supplier of fish for many

hundreds of retail markets in the city, many of which are located in poor neighborhoods. The fish

passing through Vanagaram is largely affordable to low-income households, with half of the total

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volume being cheaper than alternative animal protein sources. Most importantly, it demonstrates

the crucial role that is played by wholesale markets in merging low-price fish supplies from different

geographic regions and thereby ensuring stability in the food security status of poorer inhabitants.

An epilogue discusses the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on Vanagaram.

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2. Land-Sea Interactions

Convenors: Achim Schlüter (Leibniz Centre for Marine Tropical Research (ZMT) & Jacobs University,

Germany), Natașa Văidianu (University of Bucharest & Ovidius University of Constanta, Romania)

Thursday 19th November, 14:00-16:45

Land sea interaction has been the subject of a special issue in Marine Policy (issue February 2020)

with the title: Land-sea interactions and coastal development: An evolutionary governance

perspective, published mainly by members of the Ocean Gov Working Group 1. This panel presents a

couple of those papers, drawn on Evolutionary Governance Theory (EGT). The issue presents the

critical reflection and further advancement of EGT through application to coastal governance and

land-sea interactions. Effective governance is needed to ensure the sustainable use of ocean and

coastal resources.

Based on this Special Issue, a book chapter from the Land-Sea Interactions WG will be included in an

edited volume published as an output of OceanGov action. A series of case studies on ocean and

coastal areas focused on a range of different issues including their impacts on marine and coastal

environments and the governance responses to them were analyzed. The research intended to try

and identify Lessons for Ocean & Coastal Governance from current practice by looking at a total of 5

case studies that focus on governance and which have already been undertaken in the Land Sea

Interactions group.

Also, the two policy briefs drafted during the workshop in Brno will be discussed. First one is looking

at land sea interaction as well as the resulting and current challenges for sustainable governance. It

draws on the lessons learned from the Special Issue. The second policy brief focuses on the

particular challenges arising in the governance of land sea interaction due to climate change and

summarises the long term experiences of the various group members.

5) Governance and the coastal condition: Towards new modes of observation, adaptation and

integration

Kristof Van Assche (University of Alberta, Canada)

The conceptual framework of evolutionary governance theory (EGT) is deployed and extended to

rethink the idea of coastal governance and the possibilities of a coastal governance better adapted to

challenges of climate change and intensified use of both land and sea. ‘The coastal condition’ is

analysed as a situation where particular modes of observation and coordination were possible and

necessary, and those observations (and derived calculations of risk and opportunity) are valuable for

the governance of both land and sea. An argument is constructed for a separate arena for coastal

governance, without erasing the internal logic of pre-existing governance for land and sea. This entails

that coastal governance is destined to be a place of (productive) conflict, as much as of policy

integration. Policy integration will be more difficult and more important in coastal governance, as this

is an arena where the effects of many land based activities and activities at sea become visible and

entangled. Policy integration in coastal governance does, however, require deep knowledge of the

governance path and existing forms of integration there (e.g. in planning), and it exists in an uneasy

tension with the requirements of adaptive governance. This tension further contributes to the

complexity and complex-prone character of coastal governance. Neither complexity nor conflict can

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be avoided, and coastal governance as an image of balanced decision-making is (positively) presented

as a productive fiction.

6) Coastal climate adaptation planning and evolutionary governance: Insights from Alaska

Jeff Birchall (University of Alberta, Canada)

Climate change impacts in the far north are occurring with greater frequency and with more

intensity, and as a result the need for adaptation to minimize risk is becoming pronounced. In

Homer, Alaska, storm surge and bluff instability are presenting unique challenges to local

government decision-makers. Framed through evolutionary governance, this talk will discuss how

these impacts affect the community, and the subsequent decision dynamics around policy and

planning for climate adaptation. Results suggest that while some stakeholders in Homer are keen to

mainstream climate change adaptation thinking into strategic planning, adaptation policy remains a

low priority. Buy-in for action is challenged by a belief among key decision-makers that climate

change is a concern for the future. This in turn has resulted in diminished internal capacity (eg.

institutions, knowledge) to effectively prepare for climate variability in general.

7) Social networks, collective action and the evolution of governance for sustainable tourism on the

Gili Islands, Indonesia

Stefan Partelow, Katherine Nelson (Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) & Jacobs

University, Germany)

This article examines how social networks among actors in the tourism sector have facilitated the

evolution of self-organized institutions for governance on the island of Gili Trawangan, Indonesia.

Increasing tourism for SCUBA diving and nightlife is driving rapid social-ecological change and

challenges for sustainability in relation to waste management, social-political cohesion and

conservation. While strong social networks were a sufficient means to initiate governance among

the island's few early businesses in the 1990's and early 2000's, an increasing number of actors (i.e.,

new SCUBA businesses and hotels) and more tourists are challenging the ability of social networks to

be the foundation of effective governance, where there is now an evident need for the evolution of

governance to more effectively address sustainability challenges. This article combines quantitative

social network analysis with the qualitative analysis of interview data, participant observations and

an ethnographic examination of the island's changing social-political sphere of cooperation to

examine the evolution of governance. Our results can be separated into two parts. From past to

present, examining how governance institutions and collective action have emerged from strong

social networks. From present to future, how these social networks are being undermined as the

foundation for the island's governance institutions that they created, due to growth and changing

social-ecological conditions. This article draws on Evolutionary Governance Theory (EGT) as an

overarching frame to examine the linkages between social networks and collective action, looking

specifically at the role of multi-level governance, institutional change, path dependencies and

discourse analysis.

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8) The FLAG scheme in the governance of EU coastal areas. The cases of Ireland and Galicia (Spain)

Maria de los Angeles Pineiro-Antelo (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain), Jesus

Felicidades-Garcia (University of Huelva, Spain), Brendan O'Keeffe (The Institute for Action Research,

Ireland)

The current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) combines sectoral elements and territorial development

features at the local level based on the decentralised and participatory management of part of its

funds, the intention of which is to accommodate the proposals articulated by the fisheries

communities themselves. This study critically examines the specificities of territorial governance in

EU coastal areas, focusing on the case study of the Fishery Local Action Groups (FLAGs) established

in Ireland and Spain as new instruments for the application of sustainable development of fisheries

areas. The role of FLAGs has been fundamental in the construction and evolution of new fishing

areas, and has depended mainly on the territorial system in which they carry out their activities and

on the characteristics of the governance model into which they are inserted. Following the approach

of the Evolutionary Governance Theory, it is observed how the FLAG framework in each community

follows different pathways and generates different effects, even when the political discourse and

sectoral planning pursue similar objectives.

9) Trouble in paradise: Competing discourses and complex governance in the Romanian Danube

delta

Petruța Teampău (Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania)

In this paper, the complicated governance of the Danube Delta is discussed on the background of a

thorough description of the history and evolution of this place. Sulina is taken as a case in point, as

the only town of the Romanian delta and site of an extensive anthropological fieldwork (2006–2017).

The paper interrogates the more or less subtle conflicts inside the community and between the local

community and other actors, and their consequences for governance; it describes the legacy of the

communist past as it has impacted the governance of the delta in terms of path dependence; it

delineates the different, sometimes competing discourses that currently shape the fate and

governance of the Delta and illustrates the elusiveness of discursive constructions of “nature” and

“Delta”; finally, the paper argues for a reassessment of the role of local community and local narratives

and needs for a comprehensive governance.

10) Addressing the tangled web of governance mechanisms for land-sea interactions: Assessing

implementation challenges across scales

Anne Marie O'Hagan (University College Cork, Ireland)

The coastal zone is a locus where many activities of society intersect with natural processes that shape

the coastal zone and the resource base available. In the EU, regional legislation exists to specifically

manage the coastal and inshore marine space and resources (e.g. Marine Strategy Framework

Directive) whilst policy areas such as land-use planning, property rights and key aspects of consenting

processes remain under the authority of Member States. Interactions exist between these different

policy drivers at multiple scales, but the overall landscape is characterised by tensions or weak links

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between drivers originating from the EU and national priorities leading to a complex, non-linear and

confusing policy scape. This paper reviews how legislation, and implementing organisations, in Ireland

have evolved in the context of EU environmental perspectives that have progressed from

conservation-centric to addressing modern day challenges such as regional development for Blue

Growth and aspirations of international agreements (e.g. Convention on Biological Diversity, UN

Agenda 2030). Through an analysis employing principles of Evolutionary Governance Theory, the way

different governance institutions have co-evolved to understand how dependencies between current

actors and objectives influence each other is examined. The study explores appropriate governance

approaches to land-sea interactions utilising examples from implementation of the EU Maritime

Spatial Planning Directive in selected EU Member States, and how they take land-sea interactions into

account. This is contrasted with examples from other EU legislation and policies such as those relating

to river basin management, the marine environment, and integrated coastal management. The paper

concludes with tentative recommendations on how policies addressing land-sea interactions need to

evolve to better deliver on global policy drivers.

11) Negotiating coastal infrastructures: An evolutionary governance theory (EGT) approach to

Chinese high-modernist development along the Indian Ocean

Henryk Alff (Hochschule für Nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde, Germany)

What is known today as the Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI) was first proposed in fall 2013 by

China’s President Xi Jinping in a keynote speech to the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta and has since

drawn immense geopolitical and economic attention. The stated goal of the large-scale initiative is to

strengthen maritime connectivity between China, Asia, Africa and Europe by infrastructural

development, particularly of ports, oil transshipment terminals and Special Economic Zones. Based on

the initial review of policy documents and widely published strategic visions of the Maritime Silk Road,

the paper aims to explore, on the one hand, the conceptual foundations and policy mechanisms

behind China’s large-scale development projects in coastal areas along the Indian Ocean. On the other,

the paper by drawing on an empirical example from Sri Lanka seeks to take an evolutionary

governance theory (EGT) perspective towards on-the-ground implementation of these policies. By

doing so, the study highlights the impact of interconnected formal and informal institutions and

discourses, in transforming Chinese engagement. The contribution therefore seeks to reflect upon

particular Chinese patterns of high-modernist developmental governance in coastal places and their

local social and political negotiation and materialisation.

12) Lessons for Ocean & Coastal Governance from current practice

Paul Lawlor (Technical University Dublin, Ireland)

The range and intensity of uses and activities in marine and coastal areas has grown significantly in

the recent past. This growth has led to a rising number of conflicts among the users of marine

resources and increased the risk of damage to ocean and coastal habitats and the marine

environment. There is a firm consensus that a new system of governance is required to manage the

economic, social and environmental activities that take place in our marine and coastal areas. Effective

governance is also needed to ensure the sustainable use of ocean and coastal resources and enable

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the marine environment to achieve good environmental status (GES). However, the diversity of our

ocean and coastal areas as well as the existence of complex interactions between the land and the sea

have generated a wide range of governance approaches that attempt to respond to these challenges

and opportunities. This chapter considers a series of case studies on ocean and coastal areas within

the EU and further afield that were undertaken by researchers in the Ocean and Coastal Governance

COST network. The case studies focus on a range of different issues including their impacts on marine

and coastal environments and the governance responses to them. Through interviews with the

researchers who carried out the case studies, an appraisal is made of Evolutionary Governance Theory

(EGT) and its ability to analyse the ocean and coastal governance pathways that have been followed

in the case study areas. The ability of EGT to identify the drivers for these pathways is also analysed.

The chapter includes an examination of the features of governance and the mechanisms used in the

different approaches that are in operation in each of the case study areas. The interactions between

land and sea are also assessed. An attempt is made to identify the barriers to more effective ocean

and coastal governance and to ascertain the opportunities to deliver better management and

environmental outcomes for marine and coastal areas. The influence of effective governance on the

environmental quality of marine and coastal areas in the case study areas is considered. This

comprehensive analysis of the case studies provides for a series of evidence based and practical

recommendations which seek to inform future policy frameworks on ocean and coastal governance.

The resulting recommendations could also assist EU member states with coastal and maritime areas

who are developing their capacities for ocean and coastal governance in order to comply with the

implementation of the MSFD in March 2021.

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3. Connecting Science and Social Science for Sustainable Seabed Use: Contemporary

Knowledge in Socio-Cultural, Political, Legal, Economic and Environmental Understandings of

Deep-Sea Mining

Convenors: Kimberly Peters (University of Oldenburg, Germany), Phillip Steinberg (Durham

University, UK)

Thursday 19th November, 15:15-16:45

This panel, emerging directly from the research of members of Working Group 3, Seabed

Management, invites papers which reflect on the contemporary knowledges shaping understandings

of - and ultimately governance of - deep sea mining in view of ensuring sustainable seabed use. The

panel invites members to reflect on their own research, presenting cutting edge debates that are

shaping current concerns, from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives of the group: social, cultural,

political, legal, economic, environmental. By bringing together a range of voices in the panel, it is

intended that science and social-science knowledges will connect to present a contemporary picture

of debates shaping what we know about Deep Sea Mining (in respect of potential environmental

ramifications, economic rationales, legal complexities, indigenous concerns etc.). The panel will

provide knowledge of present issues and reflections on how we might anticipate its future

developments.

13) Mining ontological questions of ‘what’ and ‘who’: Deepening discussions of the seabed for future

policy and governance

Marta Conde (Durham University, UK & Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain), Phil Steinberg

(Durham University, UK), Aletta Mondré (University of Kiel, Germany), Kimberley Peters (University

of Oldenburg, Germany)

We argue there are two underlying ontological questions that remain underexplored for the

governance of seabed mining. The first relates to what exactly the seabed is; the second

to who precisely stakeholders are. We analyse current regulations to govern DSM in both national

and international jurisdictions to understand and compare how these questions are being tackled –

or not- in different contexts. It is argued that a greater interrogation of what exactly the seabed is

– how it is defined and understood - is crucial to how policy and governance techniques are then

enacted. We also contend that a greater scrutiny of who stakeholders are – how they are defined

and the politics of that definition – is vital to ensuring multiple perspectives are heard and the

political and social implications of DSM are addressed.

14) Actors and Voices in the Governance of Deep-Sea Mining

Aletta Mondré (University of Kiel, Germany)

Once again the increasing demand for metals has rekindled widespread interest in exploiting seabed

resources. The distribution of expected profits of deep-sea mining was already a hotly debated issue

during the drafting process of UNCLOS. Today, the emerging international governance framework is

not only scrutinized by states but also by non-state actors. The paper explores the actors and issues

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in the policy making process of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Given the task to

administer the common heritage of mankind, a broad range of voices and views should be taken into

account.

15) On the legitimacy of national interests of sponsoring states: a deep sea mining conundrum

Klaas Willaert (University of Ghent, Belgium)

Beyond national jurisdiction, the deep seabed and its mineral resources are designated as ‘common

heritage of mankind’. Nevertheless, the governing legal framework does not only consist of

international instruments, as domestic legislation issued by sponsoring States also plays a decisive

role. The legitimacy of certain national provisions can be questioned though, taking into account the

duty to carry out activities in the Area for the benefit of mankind as a whole. For instance, can a

sponsoring State demand that the proposed mining activities are in the public interest of the State?

Are they allowed to generate revenue by introducing a recovery fee or other taxes? And should

developing States enjoy more leeway, given the particular consideration for their interests and

needs in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea? This article analyses to what extent

creeping national interests in domestic legislation on deep sea mining are in accordance with

international law.

16) Traditional dimensions of seabed resource management in the Pacific

Virginie Tilot (Muséum National D’Histoire Naturelle, France), Klaas Willaert (University of Ghent,

Belgium), Bleuenn Guilloux (Center of Law and Economics of the Sea (AMURE), European Institute

for Marine Studies, France), Wenting Chen (Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Norway),

Mulalap C.Y. (Permanent Mission of the Federated States of Micronesia to the United Nations),

Gaulme F., Bambridge T., Dahl A.

In many of the Pacific Islands, local communities have long-held cultural and spiritual attachments to

the sea, in particular to species and specific marine areas, processes, habitats, islands and natural

seabed formations. Traditional knowledge, customary marine management approaches and

integrated relationships between biodiversity, ecosystems and local communities promote

conservation and ensure that marine benefits are reaped in a holistic, sustainable and equitable

manner as fostered by contemporary ocean governance. However, the interaction between local

traditional knowledge, the present scientific approach to marine resource management and specific

regulatory frameworks has often been challenging. To a certain extent, the value of community

practices and customary law, which has provided an incentive for regional cooperation and

coordination, is acknowledged in several legal systems in the Pacific and a number of regional and

international instruments, but this important connection can certainly be perfected. On basis of our

multidisciplinary analysis, we identify best practices and formulate recommendations with regard to

the current regulatory frameworks and seabed resource management approaches. Indeed, the

policies and practices developed in the Pacific could well serve as a suitable model to reconcile

commercial, ecological, cultural and social values within the context of deep sea mineral exploitation

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as well as to sustain the Human Well-being and Sustainable Livelihood (HWSL) of the Pacific

communities and the health of the Global Ocean.

17) Deep seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction: Insights on institutional arrangements

at the International Seabed Authority

Pradeep Singh (Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies – IASS, Germany)

Mineral resources located in areas beyond national jurisdiction, or in other words the international

seabed (legally termed ‘the Area’), is designated as the common heritage of humankind. Essentially,

the development of these resources must be undertaken for the benefit of humankind as a whole,

while the revenues generated therefrom are to be shared equitably. Accordingly, the International

Seabed Authority (“ISA”) was established pursuant to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982

(“UNCLOS”) to act on behalf of humankind. While all State parties to the UNCLOS (almost 170

countries) are automatically member States of the ISA and are given one vote in the Assembly, it is

clear that not all countries have the same voice in shaping the direction of the ISA. Moreover, the

possibility of non-State actors (e.g. private companies) to participate in mining activities under the

sponsorship of member States also adds an additional layer of regulatory complication. Given that

the ISA is now negotiating draft regulations that will eventually enable mineral exploitation, it is

essential to have more clarity as to how rules and decisions are made at the ISA. This paper sets out

to examine the complex institutional arrangements at the ISA, namely the interactions between the

primary organs of the ISA, which comprises the member States (mainly, the Assembly and the

Council), with its subsidiary organs (specifically, the Legal and Technical Commission), which

constitutes of independent experts. Next, it further examines the relationship between the ISA,

sponsoring States, and contractors, with the intention to understand the roles and responsibilities

shouldered by each of them respectively. Finally, the paper reviews opportunities for participation in

the process accorded to stakeholders and observers, such as conservation groups, external

scientists, academia, other marine sectoral bodies and the mining industry, as well as interested

members of the public.

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4. Bringing the pieces together: Area Based Management Tools for Effective Integrated Ocean

Management

Convenors: Sebastian Unger (Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies – IASS, Germany), Elena

Gissi (Iuav University of Venice, Italy)

Thursday 19th November 17:00-18:30,

Area-based management tools (ABMTs) are important spatial instruments applied around the world

for the management and planning of human activities in oceanic and coastal areas. ABMTs range from

marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to

sectoral spatial tools or closures that prohibit certain human activities such as fisheries, shipping or

mining, and integrated approaches such as marine spatial planning. In the global effort to conserve

and manage the oceans sustainably, MPAs are among the most commonly applied ABMTs. Current

proposals made in the context of the post-2020 biodiversity framework of the Convention on

Biological Diversity (CBD) make the case for increasing the current global target of protecting 10% of

the ocean with MPAs by 2020 (as in the CBD’s Aichi targets and the 2030 Agenda, SDG 14.5) to 30%

MPA coverage by 2030. It is essential that MPAs are well-managed and implemented as part of a

representative and connected network of MPAs, hence need to be combined with other types of

ABMTs.

However, the established sectoral approach for the management of human activities in the ocean and

coastal areas makes it difficult to establish and implement comprehensive management strategies.

Furthermore, the ocean is delimitated to Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) which includes

the water column (the High Seas) and the seabed (the Area), as well as areas which fall under the

national sovereignty of States, also known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Territorial

Sea. Despite clear-cut jurisdictional distinctions between ABNJ and waters under national sovereignty,

all maritime areas remain physically and ecologically connected through ocean currents or migration

of marine fauna as well as through transboundary pressures stemming from human activities such as

pollution or litter. Hence, the design of MPA networks needs to consider and address these legal and

institutional challenges to be effective and coherent. Lastly, although a large part of the ocean is High

Seas, no comprehensive legal regime exists to create MPAs in these areas, with the exception of a few

regional arrangements. The future legal instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine

biological diversity in ABNJ, currently being negotiated under the UN, will therefore be a critical

enabler for a future network of MPAs.

This panel will discuss opportunities and arising challenges of area-based management tools with

regard to achieving the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the CBD, and

other key global and regional ocean protection and sustainability processes. A special focus will be

given to cross-sectoral and cross-boundary coordination and cooperation in area-based

management at multiple scales and across multiple domains, from coastal to areas beyond national

jurisdictions. Also governance challenges and possible pathways towards the goal of 30% MPAs by

2030, including in ABNJ will be explored. The panel will draw from the research of the COST Action

Working Group on Area-based management and additional invited experts.

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18) The contribution of area-based management tools to achieving the SDGs

Elena Gissi (Iuav University of Venice, Italy)

Area-Based Management Tools (ABMTs) are applied instruments for managing the ocean. A great

variety of ABMTs exists, ranging from designated conservation areas (such as marine protected

areas), to spatial tools to manage a particular human activity (e.g., fisheries, shipping, or mining),

and multiple-use tools (such as marine spatial planning). Within OceanGov Working group 2 on

ABMTs, we assessed the contribution of ABMTs to ocean-related sustainable development goals

(SDGs) as set out under the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, both in areas

under and beyond national jurisdiction. We found that some ABMTs contribute directly to goal

attainment, while others contribute in more nuanced or even unexpected ways. Context-specific

factors are crucial for unlocking the full potential of ABMTs for reaching SDGs in the ocean, as shown

here through real-world ABMTs examples. By identifying major critical aspects in ABMT

implementation, our analysis points to potential ways forward to both policy making and research in

applying ABMTs for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, specifically SDG 14 that

addresses the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. Cooperative

and cross-sectoral governance approaches are needed to stimulate and coordinate initiatives that

employ multiple ABMTs to enable the broadest range of progress towards sustainable development.

19) Marine Spatial Planning and the politics of coordinated governance

Wesley Flannery (Queen’s University Belfast, UK)

Marine spatial planning (MSP) has rapidly become the most accepted approach through which to

transform ocean governance. Its widespread acceptance is driven by discourses that frame spatial

planning as an unproblematic solution to an array of marine issues. MSP is not, however, innately

rational or value-free, and it problematises marine issues and their solutions in specific ways, often

reflecting established agendas. Emerging forms of MSP focus on entrenching established agendas

through: tokenistic participation; wholescale adoption of path-dependent solutions; obstructionist

deployment of inactive technological solutions; and promising progressive change. Progressive

elements of MSP, such as well-being, are advanced to garner early support for initiatives but these

are managed out of planning processes as they proceed towards implementation. Rather than being

transformative MSP has, in essence, become about maintaining the status quo. To foster more

transformative forms of MSP we must pay attention to how policy agendas are formed, how they

travel through time/space and be cognisant of where difference can most usefully be inserted into

planning processes.

20) MSP and coordination to face climate change – global view

Catarina Frazão Santos (University of Lisbon, Portugal)

As marine spatial planning (MSP) operates in a changing ocean, properly addressing and integrating

climate effects is vital. However, few marine spatial plans properly or explicitly consider climate

change. This is a complex topic, full of intricacies, dimensions, and challenges (scientific,

socioeconomic, and political), and multiple solutions will be needed. At the same time, a more in-

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depth, thorough conversation on the topic is required, both within the scientific community, and

with policymakers, lawmakers, marine planners and managers. A recent global survey on the topic is

providing a way to take such discussion forward, while unravelling stakeholders’ perceptions around

the world on the importance of developing climate-smart MSP. These aspects will be discussed

particularly in light of achieving global ocean governance goals and sustainability processes.

21) Regionalization and transboundary cooperation as reflexive institutionalization

Jan P.M. van Tatenhove (Aalborg University, Denmark)

This contribution will present a critical realist understanding of regionalization and the enabling and

constraining conditions of transboundary cooperation at seas. Regionalization is a process of spatial

ordering and the organization of activities at the level of regional seas and the institutionalization of

specific governance arrangements needed to accompany regionalization. Regionalization is a power

process in which territorial spaces are (continuously) redefined and political spaces and practices are

composed and contested.

The aim of this contribution is to understand regionalization as a process of reflexive

institutionalization, and the way this process affects the possibilities of transboundary cooperation.

Reflexive institutionalization is a process of structuration (morphogenesis) and stabilization

(morphostasis) in which the structural properties of marine governance arrangements are

(re)produced in interactions between public and private actors within the structural conditions of

the networked polity at sea. Reflexivity refers to the capacity of actors to govern and to induce

change by challenging existing discursive spaces, and to activate and to use rules and resources from

different rule systems and layers of government.

22) Regional Environmental Management Plans established by the International Seabed Authority;

Opportunities and Challenges for Cross-sectoral Cooperation

Sabine Christiansen, Carole Durussel (Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies – IASS, Germany),

Maila Guilhon (IASS, Germany & University of São Paulo, Brasil), Pradeep Singh, Sebastian Unger

(IASS, Germany)

Ocean natural resources located in areas beyond national jurisdiction has received increased

attention in recent years. Mineral resources located in the international seabed (legally known as

“the Area”) have specifically been designated as the common heritage of mankind, whereby an

international organization known as the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been established to

represent mankind. The ISA is mandated to develop the mineral resources of the Area for the

benefit mankind as a whole, but at the same time is responsible to ensure the effective protection of

the marine environment, including the water column, from the harmful effects of mining activities.

Responding to this environmental responsibility, and in view of a steadily increasing number of

contracts for the exploration of mineral resources in the Area that is accompanied by a mounting

interest in starting exploitation, the ISA has started to consider cumulative impacts on the marine

environment in particular regions. So-called Regional Environmental Management Plans, REMPs, are

supposed to provide “a proactive area-based management tool to support informed decision-making

that balances resource development with conservation”. A first such REMP was adopted in 2012,

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after a long process of scientific lobbying for ISA to establish a network of representative no-mining

areas in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Yet, the ongoing REMP development processes in other regions

of mining interests do not realise the full potential for an integrative systematic conservation

planning process. The approach currently taken assumes the narrow view of keeping REMPs as a

sectoral tool with as little implications on actual regulation or decision-making outcomes as possible.

Meanwhile, negotiations pertaining to a new legally binding instrument on biodiversity in areas

beyond national jurisdiction is also underway and may be at risk of either reinventing the wheel or

excluding mining-related measures adopted by the ISA altogether. We will discuss opportunities and

challenges of the current REMP processes at ISA with a view on the need for integration of ISA

measures with other regional and global instruments applicable in the respective regions.

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5. Privatisation of the Oceans, Panel Discussion

Convenors: Achim Schlüter (Leibniz Centre for Marine Tropical Research (ZMT) & Jacobs University,

Germany), Maarten Bavinck (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Thursday 19th November, 17:00-18:30

The seas get more and more intensively used. Blue growth is very high up on the political agenda of

many countries. This leads often to the establishment of property rights that are often more

exclusive. A process of privatization takes place, where more and more attributes are getting into

the private domain. A group within the Ocean Gov network (Maarten Bavinck, Irmak Ertör, Stefan

Partelow, Alicia Said and Achim Schlüter) have thought about this ongoing process during the Ocean

Gov project and recently published a paper in Ecology & Society with the title “Broadening the

perspective of ocean privatizations: an interdisciplinary social science” enquiry. This paper is aimed

to start two panel discussions with scholars who are focusing on the topic of privatization in the

marine realm. The first session would be dedicated to current ocean privatisation, how we see it,

where it stands and what we believe would be reasonable perspectives on it from a societal and

social science perspective. In the second session we will discuss the issue of the social sciences

Agenda in relation to ocean privatisation (MARE went through a process of agenda setting for

marine social sciences in more general over the last year, see SI in MAST). Both sessions will be

started by a short 5-minute statement from each panelist and will be followed by an open

discussion.

Panelists:

Nathan Bennett (University of British Columbia; Opencanada Partnership, Canada)

Tony Charles (Saint Mary’s University, Canada)

Maria Hadjimichael (University of Cyprus, Cyprus)

Kimberley Peters (Oldenburg University, Germany)

Juan Vivero (University of Seville, Spain)

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6. Fisheries Governance

Convenors: José Pascual-Fernández (University of La Laguna, Spain), Aline Delaney (Aalborg

University, Denmark)

Friday 20h November, 14:00-16:15

Fisheries constitute a key element of the blue economy, even though in some discourses only other

economic activities are highlighted. The “blue growth” paradigm clearly shows this tendency in

Europe. Fisheries are not only relevant in economic terms, as they provide food security with high-

protein, high-quality wild food, obtained in many cases with a reduced carbon footprint. Not all

fisheries are created equal, as recognised by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that

raised the profile of small-scale fisheries through SDG14b. This target calls for the provision of the

“access of small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets”. This constitutes a relevant

milestone for small-scale fisheries, a sector frequently forgotten in many northern countries, in

Europe too. Reaching this milestone needs the revision of public policies that have favoured

industrial and large-scale fisheries, supposedly more “efficient”, easier to control, and with technical

staff or lobbying capacity that may demand the attention and funding from governments. This way,

achieving the implementation of SDG14b would require transformations in resource governance,

fisheries management systems and markets. Access to the markets is not easy nowadays for small-

scale fisheries, as many transformations have shaped very different consumption patterns to those

prevalent some decades ago. For instance, dominant eco-labelling patterns in some countries may

compromise market access for small-scale fishers. All these challenges demand further research and

the collation of evidence that shows clearly what the current situation is, together with examples of

best cases and failures that exemplify how to cope with these challenges. The session invites experts

from different regions to bring together a global discussion on governance and market

transformations that may help to cope with the SDG14b.

23) Will the Cofradías become agents of local development?

Kepa Astorkiza, Ikerne del Valle (University of the Basque Country, Spain)

The strategy of the CFP throughout its history has been based on the idea that grounded on the powers

assigned by the states to the EU in the fishing sector, the EU had the ideal instrument to create a

management model at European level. Its tasks were homogenizing the regulation criteria, unifying

norms and eliminating state barriers to exercise the fishing activity of European fleets. The dominant

methodology in the EU in the period of creation of the CFP, was the hierarchical top-down strategy,

coming from the mainstream economic theory of development. The instruments and institutional

mechanisms designed for this task, the Commission and the Council of the EU, were actually the

prototype of this hierarchical operating model. The lack of adaptation of the hierarchical regulations

of the EU to the characteristics and needs of the artisanal fleets and in particular to the cofradías, has

led to the fact that they have always been required to abide by distant regulations, often with rules

that were difficult to understand. Sometimes the difficulties were due to the technical barriers of the

treated materials, and others to the lack of adaptation of the same to the specific conditions of the

environments in which they had to be applied, but in all cases, the fishermen have been linked to them

under the condition of mandatory compliance. Over time, this process has generated a lack of

legitimacy for the entire fishing system and for the CFP itself vis-à-vis fishermen, and in particular,

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artisanal fishermen. Fishermen have witnessed a gradual reduction in artisanal fishing, reaching levels

of extreme weakening of their activity. The way in which the EU has made the adjustment of fleets

and fishermen to stocks has been especially onerous with artisanal fleets, turning out to be the large

ones slaughtered. This drastic reduction in artisanal fishing has in turn led to an economic and social

crisis in many fishing communities and in their ports, going a significant part of them into economic

zones in decline. The evolution of the organizational and institutional model in recent years has been

changing towards an increasing level of comanagement in the search for an upward participation of

stakeholders in the design of regulations and in decision-making. Along this path, the EU has been

generating the RACs and the creation of the FLAGs and this last one deserves our special attention.

Being aware of the economic and social decline in a very important part of the coastal areas

throughout Europe has led the EU to grant a new dimension to the direct participation of fishermen

and other stakeholder in local development issues. The objective of this opening is aimed at facing the

economic and social revitalization of coastal communities, and with that purpose, it has created the

FLAGs. The EU is conscious that this task can hardly be tackled with hierarchical plans designed and

implemented <from above>. As part of the response to this challenge, it has proposed mobilizing the

energies and endogenous human and material resources of the regional and local communities

themselves, in an attempt to alleviate and / or resolve their crisis, taking the stakeholder participation

of the fishing sector to an unprecedented level up to now. Despite the advanced degree of wear and

tear in the artisanal fishing sector, the FLAGs have been an important incentive and stimulus for

fishermen to intervene directly in the diversification and economic and social reconversion of their

territories. The local sphere is the natural action platform of the Cofradías because it is in each port

and in each fishing community where they carry out the bulk of their activity and where they have a

high degree of social capital. In this way, together with the other local stakeholders, they have begun

to intervene from the perspective of their local coastal community in the transformation of the

economic and social conditions of their territory, as agents of local development to reverse the

situation of economic and social decline in which is an important part of the fishing communities. The

Cofradías have understood the importance of the challenge and they have joined massively as

promoters of FLAG projects, combining the economic and social dynamics of coastal communities with

active cooperation with local and regional economic development projects in the EU, through FLAG

projects.

24) The role of the Cofradías of Galicia (Northwest of Spain) in protecting marine resources and

achieving equity: advantages and limitations

Iria García Lorenzo (University of Vigo, Spain)

Cofradías are regional organizations that group small-scale fishermen and shellfish fishers from

Galicia. Their role within the fishing sector gives them competencies in the management and

exploitation of marine resources, activities that they carry out collectively. This position allows

Cofradías to influence different aspects of sustainable development, mainly at the local level.

Based on previous case studies, the analysis focuses on the protection of marine resources, from the

objective of "Life Below Water", and the achievement of equity, from the objective of "Reduced

Inequalities". The functions attributed within the co-management of marine resources, their

traditional origin, their self-management nature and the fulfilment of cooperative principles are the

main characteristics of the Cofradías that help to implement these Sustainable Development Goals.

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25) Learning between coast and inland water fisheries: Benefits and challenges of Fisheries Local

Action Groups (FLAGs) for small-scale fishing livelihood in Finland

Kristina Svels, Pekka Salmi (Natural Resources Institute Finland)

Commercial small-scale fisheries across the EU, including coastal and inland fisheries in Finland, are

facing significant challenges. Decline in income, reduction of the number of fishers, neoliberal policies

and legislative regulations impacting the fishing sector have underlined a need for new methods of

handling the situation.

The system of Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAG), funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries

Fund of the EU, forms a relatively new governance tool for grass-root level engagement and a bottom-

up strategy for fisheries development. The bottom-up strategy uses the idea of Community-Led Local

Development (CLLD), a tool enabling inland and coastal fisheries communities to address their specific

challenges and use local knowledge and activity to increase economic, social and environmental

welfare.

During the present EU programming period there are 10 inland, coastal and mixed area FLAGs in

Finland, overlapping several LEADER groups of which they institutionally and administratively are

closely linked to.

This paper presents main findings of a national assessment of the FLAG system in Finland. The results

show that FLAGs have often succeeded in filling the void in securing and developing small-scale

fisheries by emphasizing local needs, ideas and by utilizing local resources. However, this relatively

new system still struggles to find its place among the numerous fisheries organizations and

institutions. The FLAG manager’s role is important for the small-scale fisheries’ future in many

perspectives. Our presentation highlights the diversity of the FLAGs and the opportunities of coastal

and inland FLAGs to learn from each other.

26) Small-scale fisheries access to fishing opportunities in the European Union: Is the Common

Fisheries Policy the right step to SDG14b?

Alicia Said (IFREMER, Centre for Law and Economics of the Sea, France), Vanessa Amorim (Iscte

University Institute of Lisboa, Portugal), Johanna Ferretti (Thunen Institute, Germany), Mathilde

Højrup Autzen (Centre for Sustainable Life Modes & Aalborg University, Denmark), Troels Jacob

Hegland (Aalborg University, Denmark), Jose Pascual Fernandez (Universidad de La Laguna, Spain),

Jerneja Penca (Euro-Mediterranean University, Slovenia), Cristina Pita (University of Aveiro, Portugal)

The profile of small-scale fisheries has been raised through a dedicated target within the United

Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG14b) that calls for the provision of ‘access of small-scale

artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets’. By focusing on access to resources in the context

of European Union, in this article we demonstrate that the potential for small-scale fishing sectors to

benefit from fishing opportunities remains low due to different mechanisms at play including

legislative gaps in the Common Fisheries Policy, and long-existing local structures somewhat favouring

the status quo of distributive injustice. Consequently, those without access to capital and authority

are faced by marginalizing allocation systems, impacting the overall resilience of fishing communities.

Achieving SDG14b requires an overhaul in the promulgation of policies emanating from the present

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nested governance systems. This article provides an insight into the multiple facets of access currently

operating within and through the fisheries governance systems responsible for the allocation of

quotas within EU Member States. In this way, it provides novel knowledge that could inform the

conceptual understanding of access to quota both within EU MS and beyond, and informs what

potential governance transformations are needed to enhance access for small-scale fisheries in line

with SDG14b.

27) Does the rise of conscientious consumer impact on fisheries governance?

Jerneja Penca (Euro-Mediterranean University, Slovenia)

Sustainable seafood consumption is neither widely practiced nor extensively discussed in fisheries

management. It is also not explicitly included in the SDG 14, but can be inferred from it in interplay

with SGD 12.8. Yet, policy discourses under various regimes are increasingly factoring in the

consumer/citizen, and implying that a conscientious consumer is acquiring responsibility and

becoming part of the contemporary governance. This paper provides a frame for consideration of

the model of shared responsibility among stakeholders in the context of fisheries sustainability. It

reflects on whether the consumer-centred changes, separate from the government-led policies, can

reasonably act as a driver of changes at the governance level. The paper first reviews the existing

policy tools targeting the consumer from the point of view of their scope and depth. In the second

part, it explores the potential of transparency (as an existing social value) and traceability (as an

increasingly promising method) in filling the identified governance gaps. This paper is relevant for

global discussions on the potential roles of an overlooked stakeholder (the consumer) and for

consideration of governance interventions in the markets (such as IT solutions, disclosure

requirements) for improving fisheries sustainability.

28) Towards territorial development in fisheries areas: A typology of projects funded by Fisheries

Local Action Groups

Lluís Miret-Pastor (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, España), Kristina Svels (Natural Resources

Institute Finland), Richard Freeman (Newcastle University, UK)

Community-led Local Development (CLLD) offers a novel bottom-up approach to achieving territorial

development in EU fisheries and aquaculture areas. Through Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs),

CLLD sets out to increase both employment and territorial cohesion by bringing together local

stakeholders in the selection and implementation of projects which meet the specific needs of the

FLAG area and its fisheries communities. Through an analysis of 2691 FLAG projects, this study offers

comparative insights into the implementation of CLLD across eight EU Member States. The analysis

shows that there are three areas that account for almost 90% of total budget spending, projects

attributed to adding value to the fisheries value chain, the diversification fisheries activities, and

those with socio-cultural focus, while fewer projects attributed to the environment or increasing

representation in local governance. The results of this analysis are compared with the priorities

expressed by FLAGs at the beginning of the program, as well as the national Operational Programs of

individual Member States.

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29) Markets, social networks, digital platforms and small-scale fisheries: impacts of COVID-19 in

Tenerife

Raquel Jacinto-Fariña, Raquel de la Cruz-Modino, Jose J. Pascual-Fernández (Universidad de La

Laguna, Spain)

The small-scale fisheries sector plays an important role in the social cohesion of the coastal

communities in Tenerife. However, its role has been declining, due to the demographic and tourist

pressure of the last century. Globalisation is materialising negatively in this environment, where the

small cofradías of the Island have not had the necessary tools to adapt to a completely interconnected

market, where their products are not adequately differentiated from imports or illegal catches.

But... what if the world stopped? COVID-19 has paralysed the tourism and commercial sector, giving

the small-scale fishing sector in Tenerife the chance to reinvent itself. This challenge led to alternative

models of market penetration. In this presentation, we analyse social networks as an emerging

marketing channel for Tenerife's small-scale catches, as was implemented during the state of alarm

caused by the COVID-19. On the one hand, we take a quantitative approach where we try to measure

the impact of the pandemic on the fisher organizations (cofradías) of the island and the use of social

networks by small-scale fishers to sell their products. On the other hand, we analyse in a qualitative

way the transformation that has taken place in the cofradías of San Miguel de Tajao and Santa Cruz

de la Palma, where, with the help of local institutions, a network of digital commerce of local fish

products has been implemented. The aim is to determine whether the standardisation of "short value

chains with digital trade" through social networks will be able to withstand the pandemic and promote

direct selling and distribution to the consumer, with producers and their organisations playing a

leading role.

30) Regulatory mismatches for artisanal fishers: the case of Tenerife

Jaime de Ramón-Bruquetas, Jose J. Pascual-Fernández (Universidad de La Laguna, Spain)

It is common to hear complaints among small-scale fishers about fisheries regulations -set by decision

makers in Brussels, Madrid or the Canary Islands not adapted to real circumstances. They claim that

these regulations reflect the absence of field experience or the ignorance of the particularities of the

island territories. Besides, these regulations are frequently explained as a response to pressures not

related with the health of ecosystems, the optimal supply of food or the well-being of fishing

communities.

The accession of Spain to the European Union and the ratification of major international treaties has

led to the need for a transposition into local law of numerous legal provisions. Both the complex

bureaucratic fabric and the current jurisdictional situation, in which multiple actors come into play,

are complicating the viability of small-scale fisheries. This way, fishers are increasingly dependent on

lawyers and external advisers for managing their fishing activity, while decision makers are

constrained in their governing capacity to make critical decisions for the future of local fishers, despite

a political goodwill.

In the marketing of small-scale catches, we have a clear example of this regulatory mismatch. Council

Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with

the rules of the common fisheries policy, allows a buyer to acquire fisheries products for private

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consumption under certain circumstances. This provision has been disparately transposed into the

different European legal systems, resulting in completely different effects for a fisher depending on

the side of the border on which he sells his catches. In Spain, the national legislator has delegated the

implementation of this regulation to the Regional Governments, something that in the case of the

Canary Islands has not yet happened, despite the demands of local fishers. In fact, national and local

governments are making decisions about how to implement EU regulations that can be interpreted

by some to disadvantage small-scale fishers.

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7. Connecting Ocean Acidification Research with the UN Decade of Ocean Science

Convenor: Roberta Guerra (University of Bologna, Italy)

Friday 20th November, 14:00-16:15

Ocean acidification (OA) describes the progressive decrease in the pH of seawater and other cascading

chemical changes resulting from oceanic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Ocean warming

(OW), due to augmented heat transfer from the atmosphere to the sea, results in increased frequency

of thermal anomalies (heatwaves) and affects ocean circulation. OA and OW act synergically and can

have important implications for marine ecosystems including effects on mollusks, corals, and calcifying

plankton with potential dissolution of calcareous structures such as shells or skeletons, increasing

susceptibility to diseases outbreaks, creating a risk for commercial industries, subsistence

communities and recreation.

Over the past decade, the OA and OW research communities have grown rapidly, and the number of

related publications has grown exponentially. The potential impacts to marine ecosystems have

resulted in OA becoming one of ten targets for the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal

(SDG) 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.

Ocean Science research, the systematic monitoring of the acidification and heatwaves extent, the

cumulative impact of multiple stressors on marine ecosystems, the availability and accessibility of

marine data and, the further improvement and reliability of predictive biogeochemical models and

ecosystem response will be at the heart of the UN Ocean Decade for Sustainable Development. Within

this framework as well as that of global environmental governance, it is essential to provide adaptive

and transdisciplinary responses to the increasing and cascading risks posed by OA.

31) Carbonate system and acidification of the North Adriatic Sea

Carolina Cantoni (National Research Council – Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), Italy), Jadran

Faganeli (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia), M. Giani (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di

Geofisica Applicata, Italy), Nives Kovac (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia), Bor Krajnc (Jožef Stefan

Institute, Slovenia), Alenka Malej (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia), Nives Ogrinc (Jožef Stefan

Institute, Slovenia), Valentina Turk (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia)

The Adriatic Sea is currently a CO2 sink with an annual flux comparable to the net sink rates in the

NW Mediterranean. Based on the comparison of two winter cruises carried out in in the 25-year

interval between 1983 and 2008, acidification rate of 0.003 pHT units y−1 was estimated in the

northern Adriatic which is similar to the Mediterranean open waters. The computed Revelle factor

(about 10) indicates that the buffer capacity is rather high and that the waters seem not particularly

exposed to acidification. Total alkalinity (TA) in the Adriatic (2.6-2.7 mM) is in the upper range of TA

measured in the Mediterranean Sea. This is primarily because of riverine inputs that transport

carbonates dissolved from the Alpine dolomites and karstic watersheds. The Adriatic Sea is the

second sub-basin (319 Gmol y-1), following the Aegean Sea that contribute to the riverine TA

discharges into the Mediterranean Sea. About 60% of the TA inflow into the Adriatic Sea is

attributed to the Po river discharge with TA of ~3 mM and TA decreases with increasing salinity.

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Saturation state indicates that the waters of the Adriatic are supersaturated with respect to calcite

(ΩCa) and aragonite (ΩAr) throughout the year. Saturation states are considerably lower in the

bottom water layers, due to the prevalence of benthic remineralization processes in the

stratification period. Significant effects on calcifying organisms and phytoplankton are expected in

the future while the effects on microbially-driven processes are at present not known.

32) Marine phytplankton adaptation to global warming: phospholipidome model experiments and

long-term field observation.

Blaženka Gašparović (Ruđer Bošković Institute, Croatia)

Eukaryotic plankton are fundamental to life on Earth where they influence, and are influenced by, the

climate. They cope with global warming on multiple levels by physiological accommodation, adaptive

evolution, and/or community responses. Thirty-two years of phytoplankton research in the NW

Adriatic Sea has revealed that Chaetoceros curvisetus/pseudocurvisetus are more competitive than

the majority of accompanying phytoplankton taxa in warm conditions. Since 2003, the share of C.

pseudocurvisetus in the community increased from 1.5 to 3.7% in the surface and from 1.4 to 9.6% in

deeper layers. They are probably stronger competitors for resources at higher temperatures and are

able to change their habitat by moving from the warmer surface to deeper layers. Here we show, using

laboratory microscale experiments, capability of marine diatom C. pseudocurvisetus to adapt to

warming by short-term physiological adaptation through fatty acid remodelling of six major

phospholipid classes (phosphatidylcholines (PC), phosphatidylglycerols (PG),

phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), phosphatidic acids (PA), phosphatidylinositols (PI) and

phosphatidylserines (PS)). The remodelling, changes in the fatty acid chain length and the degree of

unsaturation, depends on the role of a particular phospholipid in the cell.

33) Sea warming and zooplankton in the northern Adriatic

Alenka Malej, Matjaž Ličer, Tjaša Kogovšek (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia), Davor Lučić

(University of Dubrovnik, Croatia)

Zooplankton plays a major ecological role mediating the flow of nutrients and energy from

phytoplankton to higher trophic levels, including economically important fish species.

Mesozooplankton and gelatinous zooplankton are essential indicators of the impacts of climate

change on coastal marine systems. Due to shallowness and geographic location, the northern

Adriatic biota is exposed to variable hydrographic conditions. The surface temperature has increased

at a rate of 0.08±0.01°C y -1, and since the 1980s, the occurrence of marine heatwaves increased,

and cold-spells have declined. Reductions in nutrient loading in recent decades were associated with

lower chlorophyll‐a and phytoplankton productivity. We explored zooplankton community response

to environmental changes during 2006–2016 and compared these results to the literature and own

data from an earlier period. The zooplankton biomass and abundance decreased during 2006-2016

compared to 1991-2001. Gelatinous macrozooplankton presented an increasing trend while

cladoceran Penilia avirostris, cold water herbivore/omnivore copepods declined.

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34) Heatwaves and mass mortality events in the Mediterranean Sea: towards an integrated early

warning systems

Massimo Ponti (University of Bologna, Italy)

Mediterranean gorgonian forests are species-rich habitats; however, they are threatened by

anthropogenic disturbances and mass mortality events. These mortality events have often been

linked to heatwaves. In September 2017 colonies of the gorgonians Eunicella singularis and Eunicella

cavolini exhibited rapid tissue loss, up to 30 m deep along the steep cliffs of Montecristo Island

(Tuscan Archipelago National Park, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Interestingly, Montecristo has previously

been identified as a reference site for the ecological quality assessment of the western

Mediterranean benthic assemblages on rocky bottoms. The observed mortality event co-occurred

during a period of increased sea temperature. By utilizing a combination of high-resolution

oceanographic analysis, forecast models and citizen science initiatives, we propose an early warning

system on the concomitance of heat waves and mortality events can be put in place. A temperature-

based coral disease surveillance tool could then be established for the entire Mediterranean Sea.

Such a tool would allow for the timely study of these phenomena and the implementation of prompt

mitigation and/or restoration initiatives.

35) Marine Open Data, a way forward to increase multi-disciplinary ocean knowledge and support

the Blue Growth

Simona Simoncelli (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Italy)

A clean and healthy ocean can be restored and preserved through constant and systematic

monitoring of the marine environment, which allows to understand its complex dynamics and

exploit its natural recourses through a sustainable development approach. Ocean monitoring and

the management of the deriving marine data represents a societal priority which enables to assess

the past and present ocean state, to predict its evolution and to understand/mitigate the impact of

human activity and climate change on it.

Nowadays it is necessary to transform and adapt data management activity to the present societal

challenges ensuring that data sampled for a specific purpose would be available to the scientific

community to be reused multiple times and for multiple purposes. Data sharing approach and open

data policy maximize users’ uptake, promoting knowledge and innovation and, at the same time,

reducing costs, avoiding duplication of efforts. Open data revolution can be achieved only if the

scientific community defines and adopts common vocabulary, formats and standards that enable a

rapid and efficient access to the data. The FAIR (Findable Accessible Interoperable and Reusable)

data management principles (Wilkinson et al., 2016) and a linking data approach are the foundation

of this revolution which boosts innovation, maximize multi-disciplinary ocean knowledge and reduce

uncertainties but preserving transparency and traceability.

To tackle this challenge, in 2009 the European Commission - DG MARE launched EMODnet

(European Marine Observation and Data Network) (Martín Míguez et al., 2019), whose objective was

to centralize and organize marine data in a unique infrastructure, deriving information from data,

creating products targeted to multiple user communities. The societal goal is to drive informed

decision making, anticipatory planning of ocean space and the blue growth.

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EMODnet relies on SeaDataNet (https://www.seadatanet.org/), a distributed marine data

infrastructure for the management of large and diverse sets of data deriving from in situ of the seas

and oceans, to preserve, curate and provide access to the data. SeaDataNet supports several

EMODnet thematic lots like bathymetry, biology, chemistry and physics, managing multidisciplinary

in situ data, applying a quality assurance strategy, quality control procedures, developing

software/tools and deriving data products such as temperature and salinity data collections and

climatologies for the EU marginal seas (Mediterranean, Black Sea, North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, North

Sea, Arctic Ocean) and the global ocean.

36) Ocean Acidification as a boundary challenge: towards adaptive and transdisciplinary governance

in the Mediterranean Sea

Bleuenn Guilloux (Center of Law and Economics of the Sea (AMURE), European Institute for Marine

Studies, France)

Ocean acidification (OA) is one of the nine planetary boundaries identified by Rockström et al.

(Ecology and society, 2009), below which humanity remains in a safe operating space. Addressing OA

on different timescales requires both global and context-based prevention, mitigation, adaptation

and conservation measures. At international and EU governance levels, decision-makers have

neglected OA as a crosscutting scientific, political and legal issue requiring further ocean, biodiversity

and climate regime interactions within the Earth system. Even though some States and non-state

actors have acted to put OA on the political agenda, its Law and governance remain too fragmented

to provide integrated and targeted responses to increasing, cascading and shifting damages of OA in

the Era of the Anthropocene. Besides the lack of political will and/or capacity, scientific uncertainty

and complexity, as well as rapid and abrupt environmental changes, explain why adaptive,

transformative legal solutions are arduous to elaborate, and why coordination and cooperation is

primarily cognitive and epistemological, rather than normative and institutional. Examining the

Mediterranean example, this presentation aims to show to what extend the law can hinder or, on

the contrary, encourage the development of a transdisciplinary governance of AO based, inter alia,

on sustainable co-making and co-implementation by States and no-state actors.

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8. Oceans´ contribution to food security

Convenor: Maarten Bavinck (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Friday 20th 16:30-17:30

A SAPEA High-Level Panel of Experts (2017) concluded that the food provisioning function of the

oceans is substantial and requires upgrading. A High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy

(2019) reached similar conclusions. This conference session gathers three papers dealing with the

oceans’ role in promoting food security, defined by the FAO (1996) as pertaining when: “all people,

at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their

dietary and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. A first paper scrutinizes the global

narratives that surround the topic of ‘fish as food’, while the second considers the empirical

situation of food security and oceanic food in the European Union. The last paper focuses more

specifically on the ‘small pelagics’ that contribute in a major way to food security in South Asia

(India) and West Africa (Ghana).

37) Destruction and dispossession of fish-food along the ocean frontier: implications of India’s silent

fishmeal revolution.

Joeri Scholtens (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Amalendu Jyotishi (Azim Premji

University, India), Naveen Namboothri, Trisha Gupta (Dakshin Foundation, India), Ramachandra

Bhatta (independent consultant, India) Maarten Bavinck (University of Amsterdam, The

Netherlands), Derek Johnson (University of Manitoba, Canada), Shakuntala H. Thilsted (World Fish

Center, Malaysia)

The role of fish and fisheries in addressing malnutrition is gaining increasing prominence on the

global food security agenda. In this context, the fact that fish meal and fish oil (FMFO) industry

appropriates a fifth of global marine fish landings for the production of feeds for high value

aquaculture species, has come under increased scrutiny. This study assesses the magnitude and

drivers of India’s rapidly growing FMFO industry and explores its implications for India’s domestic

nutritional security challenges. Using a novel assessment method, our research demonstrates that

India’s FMFO industry diverts around 1.2 million tons marine fish to feed domestic or foreign

aquaculture systems, supporting a 4.8-billion dollar shrimp export market. This paper critically

explores the implications of this rapidly expanding sector at three levels. First, the FMFO industry as

driving a form of indiscriminate ‘biomass fishing’, targeting species that until recently were

considered bycatch, constituting a new manifestation of nature commodification. Second, the FMFO

industry undermines the viability of small-scale fishers and local fish traders, who are outcompeted

both at sea (by trawlers) and on land (by the FMFO agents), providing a manifestation of

accumulation by dispossession. Third, the industry converts cheap small fish that would otherwise

be affordable to poorer households on the local markets into high value shrimp destined for export

markets

38) Who pays the bill? How marine nature conservation in EU waters is detrimental to fish food

security in other parts of the world.

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Marloes Kraan, Amanda Schadeberg, Luc van Hoof (Wageningen University & Research, The

Netherlands), Gesche Krause, Bela Buck (Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmoltz-Zentrum für Polar- und

Meeresforschung, Germany), Maarten Bavinck (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Fish is a healthy food source and has an important role to play to global food security. It is an

important source of animal protein, with a relatively low ecological footprint. But also the micro-

nutrients in fish are a valuable contribution, especially to food diets of poor people. The availability

of fish therefore requires attention. Crucial question is how can we maintain or increase the

production of fish globally, within the socio-ecological boundaries of the system? Food security does

not drive the agenda of marine management in the EU. Rather the attention goes to marine

conservation. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims at protecting 30 percent of the seas and

oceans in 2030. With a current level of protection of 10% and the Blue Growth ambitions it begs the

question what the cumulative impact will be on the production of fish in EU waters. Already the

demand for fish in the EU is more than it produces. Europe’s ambition for nature conservation

therefore might impact food security elsewhere in the world. This paper aims at bringing such trade-

offs to the fore.

39) The vital contribution of small pelagic fish to food security – India and Ghana compared

Holly M. Hapke (University of California, Irvine, United States), Maarten Bavinck (University of

Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Ben Campion (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and

Technology, Zambia), Amal Jyotishi (Azim Premji University, India)

It is well established that fish is highly nutritious and makes a relevant, if not vital, contribution to

food security. Some argue that the oceans are, in principle, capable of making an even larger

contribution to food security, which is significant in connection with population growth. The world’s

poor, however, will not be able to partake in this bonanza unless available fish is also ‘accessible’, in

terms of both affordability and availability. It is for this reason that researchers are now investigating

food systems revolving around ‘low-price fish’ and their impact on poor populations such as in the

cities of the Global South. This paper presents the results of a research project, which has examined

low-price fish chains in urban regions of South India and Ghana, focusing in particular on small

pelagic species, which are dense in vital nutrients and often relatively low-priced. The question we

address is: How does the functioning of low-price fish supply chains affect the food security of poor

urban populations? We employ a historicizing approach, tracing the way in which low-price fish

chains and the conditions that affect them have evolved over time. While we are mainly concerned

with the way in which fish supply chains affect food security, we will also consider the role of various

human players in these chains, with particular emphasis on the role of women traders and

processors. This is because women play an important part in fish supply chains of both regions. Our

analysis understands fish supply chains as situated in larger food systems, defined as gathering “all

the elements (environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions, etc.) and

activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and consumption of

food, and the output of these activities, including socio-economic and environmental outcomes. We

assess such chains mainly from the viewpoint of low-income consumer households in two coastal

and two inland cities. We conclude that although low-price fish chains generally succeed in providing

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poor consumers with food and nutrition security, these chains do face obstacles, such as in

guaranteeing the quality of fish products.

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9. Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Ocean, Policies and Diplomacies

Convenor: César Giraldo-Herrera (Leibniz Centre for Marine Tropical Research (ZMT), Germany)

Friday 20th November, 16:30-17:30

The last years have seen the rise of Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs), largely as an effect of

changes environment use and increasing intensification, urbanization, and global interconnectivity,

as well as climate change. EIDs threatening human lives, such as COVID19 or ebola, have received

considerable attention, SARs and MERs also had considerable effects on livestock calling for massive

culling measures. The ocean has not featured prominently in public discourses. Nevertheless, the sea

normally acts as an incubator and convenor for myriad microorganisms whose abundance and

diversity we are only beginning to envision. A few of these are pathogenic, like influenza virus,

Vibrio, Aeromonas, Klebsiella, Legionella, Listeria, Clostridium, Pseudomonas, and many other germs

which may cause diseases in humans, even while they are normal inhabitants of oceans and

estuaries, or of healthy animals. Humans and domesticated species both at land and sea constantly

add to this potentially pathogenic load. Given its very dynamic characteristics, its role in global

movement, the increasing degrees of coastal urbanization, and the intensification of aquaculture,

the sea has and is expected to bare the bulk of this burden. Wildlife disease outbreaks have caused

mass mortalities affecting several taxa (e.g. corals, fish, oysters, shrimp, and sea-mammals) and

represent an imminent threat to wildlife below water. Yet, Lafferty and Hoffman (2016), have

pointed out Marine EIDs remain largely outside policy considerations. The high stakes and multiple

challenges posed by Marine EIDs call for a closer coordination between marine environmental

management aquaculture and medicine, which is has been developing under the umbrella of One-

Health. On the other hand, as COVID19 makes evident once again, epidemics have effects in social,

economic, and political life which are not necessarily related or proportional to their impacts on

human or animal health. This panel seeks to bring about a discussion about the current status of

marine One-Health policy and diplomacy.

40) Pathogens in coastal marine ecosystems

Valentina Turk (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia)

While the pressures and occurrences of “classical” pathogens derived from faecal contamination

sources are known, new forms of pathogen occurrence associated, both, with climate change and

human activities are less understood. Mass mortalities of marine organisms due to disease

outbreaks have affected many taxa in the last few years. At the same time, the introduction of new

species affects natural microbial community composition, biogeochemical cycles and food webs in

coastal marine ecosystems. Studies related to in situ detection of the spread of pathogenic bacteria

in coastal areas and their potential impact on marine organisms are scarce. To improve

understanding of the consequences of pathogens on microbial processes, new approaches are

needed together with risk assessment and modelling to predict threats to marine ecosystems and

human health.

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41) One Health Aquaculture

Grant Stentiford (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, UK)

Aquaculture is predicted to supply the majority of aquatic dietary protein by 2050. For aquaculture

to deliver significantly enhanced volumes of food in a sustainable manner, appropriate account

needs to be taken of its impacts on environmental integrity, farmed organism health and welfare,

and human health. In this talk I will explore increased aquaculture production through the One

Health lens and define a set of success metrics — underpinned by evidence, policy and legislation —

that must be embedded into aquaculture sustainability. I will outline a framework for defining,

monitoring and averting potential negative impacts of enhanced production — and consider

interactions with land-based food systems. These metrics have the potential to inform national and

international science and policy strategies to support improved aquatic food system design. They

infer an increased role for government in defining how food should be produced within national

jurisdictions.

42) "Aquaculture and capture fisheries under Covid-19: impacts, diversity, and ways forward"

Aisa Manlosa (Leibniz Centre for Marine Tropical Research (ZMT), Germany), Anna-Katharina

Hornidge (German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) &

University of Bonn, Germany), Achim Schlüter (Leibniz Centre for Marine Tropical Research (ZMT) &

Jacobs University, Germany)

The Covid-19 pandemic has unravelled vulnerabilities in food systems. Our study investigated the

impacts of a lockdown in Central Luzon, Philippines where aquaculture and capture fisheries are

interconnected sectors. We focused on impacts related to production and market, people’s coping

strategies, and factors that enabled such strategies. Our investigation adopted a case study

approach and used qualitative data. The findings revealed differentiated mechanisms through which

aquaculture and capture fisheries production were impacted. Both were strongly affected by market

disruptions in different ways. In effect, the lockdown provided the impetus for the uptake and

spreading of practices that were previously peripheral, particularly in relation to market exchanges.

The study concludes with the importance of diversity in food sources contributed by aquaculture

and capture fisheries, and the need to recognise its role in promoting coastal social-ecological

system resilience as stakeholders respond to the pandemic and plan for long-term strategies.

43) More-than-one Ocean Health

César Giraldo Herrera (Leibniz Centre for Marine Tropical Research (ZMT), Germany)

One-Ocean and One-Health brought together interdisciplinary and international efforts to address

the global issues respectively those faced by the oceans, and those caused by Emerging Infectious

Diseases, challenges that transcend borders and disciplines. Despite their importance, these

approaches have often fostered universalizing discourses, while One-Ocean often neglected the

positions, interest and importance of many local stakeholders, while One-Health fostered highly

universalizing discourses undermining traditional forms of knowledge, reducing the diversity of our

relations with animal species, fostering monocultures, which are more susceptible to pathogens, and

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to under-value the local, contingent and practical engagements that make health possible. This

paper is an invitation to consider ocean health in its diversity and multiplicity, to think about our

relation with those human and non-human others in terms of diplomacy.