Image source: Bay de Verde, Newfoundland, Canada. Image source: Photograph by Joonas Plaan.
What is the future of fisheries and coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, and how to get it right?
The Ocean Frontier Institute’s Module I ‘Informing Governance Responses in a Changing Ocean’ is an interdisciplinary research component of a larger initiative between Dalhousie University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the University of Prince Edward Island, working in partnership with federal and provincial government agencies, private sectors and international partners. Established in 2016 through funding support from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, research in Module I of OFI examines the consequences of social, ecological and institutional changes for the future of fisheries, coastal communities and the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). It explores alternative options for governments and other governing actors to respond to these changes in order to help achieve a sustainable future. The first phase of the project hosted a Taking Stock Dialogue, bringing together stakeholders from research, government, industry and the community to appraise changes (e.g. regulatory, industry, resources) that occurred before and since the groundfish moratoria and identify where research is required to fill knowledge gaps. Social science and interdisciplinary research is being conducted on the following key topics related to NL fisheries: access to resources and markets; recruitment, training and retention; perceptions, values and knowledge, including of fish harvesters; health and safety; vulnerability and viability; and the future of Nunatsiavut Fisheries. Findings from the research will provide the basis for policy and governance discussion about how to ‘Get It Right’ for the sustainable fisheries and coastal communities of NL. The research team includes 19 co-investigators and 23 highly qualified personnel, with 14 of them being from Memorial University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The project also involves 11 collaborators and 16 partner organizations from Canada, USA, France and Norway.
