Jewel Das
Report of GLOMAR PhD student Jewel Das about his participation in the "Asia-Pacific Small Scale Fisheries (SSF) Regional Symposium" in Shizuoka, Japan from 9 to 12 April 2024
During my PhD research career, as part of my plan to network with the global research alliance, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, I attended the Asia-Pacific Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Regional Symposium in Shizuoka, Japan from 9-12 April 2024. This year the theme of the symposium was ‘Bright Spots ~ Hope Spots’. I presented my research work on 10 April 2024 in the session of ‘Blue Justice’. This event was hosted by Tokai University in Shimizu, Shizuoka, Japan and brought together researchers from around the world under the broader research network of Small-scale Fisheries are Too Big To Ignore (TBTI), Dried Fish Matters (DFM) and Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) and the OAK Foundation. One of the unique features of this event was the invitation of actual fishers from different parts of the world. This facilitates the transdisciplinary knowledge sharing and participatory discussion that allows for the exchange of real experiences from the field.
The symposium sessions addressed pressing issues related to SSF such as SSF guidelines, gender, wellbeing, livelihoods, governance, blue justice, ecology, technology, climate, security and resilience, sustainability, conservation and transdisciplinary innovation. The symposium concluded with a way forward planning for regional cooperation and future perspectives. The experience of participating in this event was excellent for me as it connects with the next steps of my PhD research in terms of collaboration among Asian SSF entities to support the global demand for safe and secure spaces for small-scale fishers in blue economic growth. Furthermore, this symposium presented the national level planning and updated policy frameworks to share success and failure strategies for the next decade of regional efforts to support SSF. Small-scale fishers from different countries exchanged similarities and differences about their real life situations apart from the theoretical research that enhance the policy making initiatives in an effective way.
The third day of the symposium facilitated field visits and hands-on experience of SSF management in Japan. The host arranged for participants to study 'Yui fishing community, Yui Fisheries Cooperative Association (FCA) and Shizuoka Prefecture Meeting'. The fieldwork ended with a visit to the fish market in the local context. This excursion provides participants with practical knowledge and opportunities for discussion with relevant stakeholders, which was a rich opportunity. Japan's management of SSF is advanced compared to other Asian countries in terms of well-structured stakeholders, rules and regulations, and recognition of the contribution of SSF to the national and global economy.
Last but not least, the field day included a visit to one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions, Mount Fuji. The Sakura (one of the most commercial shrimp species in Japan) shrimp drying areas are located near this mountain. The experience of the dried fish yards and the view of the mountain inspired the participants to end a hectic day.
Overall, this event provided a great platform to share research, ideas, regional and global initiatives with the prospect of further collaboration to support SSF in a sustainable manner. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Bremen International Graduate School for Marine Sciences (GLOMAR/MARUM) and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) for supporting my participation in this symposium and promoting my research. I would also like to thank TBTI and Tokai University for providing me with the opportunity to participate.