All too often workers are seen as collateral damage in conservation and economic-based management decisions and irrelevant in the production of environmental knowledge used to inform those policy decisions. Perhaps that’s inevitable. But I would argue that workers are an essential aspect of the human dimensions of a fishery, or any maritime-based economy, and need to be systematically incorporated into policy-making—a process made possible by strengthening labor unions.
The first thing is to remember to always take the dual nature of science – its explanatory power as well as its very human foundations – into account. Science will always reflect the social conditions of production, from the agendas of its owners to the time and place it was created to the technologies and strategies then available for researchers to much else. We should therefore be weary of ideas that accept our own time, place, economies, and culture as “natural,” for these conditions change.
If science speaks for itself, then powerful forces will invariably try to justify inequality and injustice on scientific grounds. Rather, it is important to understand that science is done by people living in societies. As environmental sociologists have long argued, we must therefore understand society if we are to understand science.
In this perspective piece, Aaron Padgett explores how “blue” political and economic agendas in the Pacific are underwritten by a view of the region as a strategic and resource frontier. Examining initiatives like the BLUE Pacific Act, the piece discusses how blue environmental rhetoric co-opts and diminishes Native Pacific place relations to create marketable slogans for the expanding security state.
Climate change adaptations are necessary to safeguard the food security, livelihoods, and cultural heritage of artisanal fishers, yet there is a lack of understanding among policy makers about the adaptation priorities of fisherfolk, and what resources or support they would need to actually implement them. As part of a research project led by Dr. Sieme Bossier alongside Ana Lucía Pozas, artisanal fishers in Yucatán, Mexico were interviewed. In this photo blog we highlight some of the fishers’ perspectives and summarize project findings.
La versión en español sigue a la versión en inglés en esta página.
The rapid growth of fishmeal processing in West Africa, driven by global demand, has sparked protests, and raised pressing concerns among coastal communities, particularly in The Gambia. Despite being touted as sources of foreign investment, these factories disproportionately burden vulnerable populations with environmental degradation, food insecurity, and health risks.
Research to better understand fishers must include the perspectives of fisher woman whose contributions are essential but may be overlooked. As part of the research project 'Listening to fishing communities on climate adaptation in the tropics' led by Dr. Sieme Bossier alongside Ana Lucía Pozas, artisanal fishers in Yucatán, Mexico were interviewed to listen to their perspectives and livelihood challenges. Through this photo blog and short video, we feature Amada’s story, a crab fisher woman in Celestún.
La versión en español sigue a la versión en inglés en esta página.
Whether they concern economic development or environmental protection, contemporary narratives on the ‘global ocean’ generally call for expansion of human control into increasingly deep and remote marine spaces. This essay shares insights from a recent social science study critiquing this dominant “Ocean Frontier” ideology based on an empirical investigation of the “Dome,” an elusive offshore feature in the Pacific Ocean off Central America.
Few places I've been lucky enough to visit hold as much poetry as Ghana. In the fall of 2022, I wrote a poem about my fieldwork on fisher safety and working conditions in Ghana's fisheries. The exercise was part of a creative writing course for academics by Prof. Helen Sword, whose focus on Writing with Pleasure helped restore my somewhat fraught relationship with scientific writing.
While technological innovation is paramount, environmental sociological scholarship on marine food systems and development usually stresses that hunger and unsustainable environmental impacts are political problems exacerbated by rigid and complex social structures. The capacity of aquaculture to ameliorate problems therefore requires careful consideration. What lessons does environmental sociology offer to understand aquaculture’s potential to address these issues, in sustainable fashion?
