Future Oceans Lab attends the 3rd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress in Thailand

The 3rd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress (3WSFC), an international event that aims for transdisciplinarity, transformation and the future of small-scale fisheries was placed in Chiang Mai (Thailand) during October 22nd-26th. As five main pillars of this worldwide meeting, five different themes where developed each day (Science, Communities, Policy, Field and Actions) by several communicating sessions (plenary, science café, speed-sessions, regional roundtables, pesca kucha, regular sessions, special sessions, e-poster and story telling sessions).

Taking advance of this unique chance to discuss and deal with the future challenges for oceans and people, Future Oceans Lab attended this event to transfer knowledge, learn and strengthen the international network among researchers, fishers, practitioners, policy-makers and every related stakeholder.

Starting the first day of the congress, Diego Salgueiro Otero, PhD student of FOL presented successfully his work on adaptation to climate change of small-scale fisheries, sharing ideas with the audience and receiving feedback during the whole event.  He not only participated as a regular session speaker, but he was also part of the congress’ volunteer members helping with the development of the transversal events. As a volunteer member of the 3WSFC, Diego synthesized information on everyday sessions for follow up debriefing mornings, was responsible for the speakers presentations timing, for collecting ideas as an outcomes list for the congress collective roundtables, and for supporting  any other participants needs during the congress .

Furthermore, Diego took the opportunity during the “Field-day” to visit Phayao province and several cases of sustainable fishing systems. In Ban Rong Hai village, he discovered the Smart Farmer system which takes the”Sufficiency Economy Philosophy”, where a sustainable integrated system based on local agriculture, farming, fisheries, irrigation and water provision is supplying a wide array of ecosystem services as well-being, food security and cultural heritage. Other must-see spots that Diego could visit were the Kwan Phayao (Phayao Lake) with its lively communities and traditional fishing gears, the Pho Khun Mueang Memorial, the Sun Kap Dum fishing Community and the Maneerat Market or Rong Ha Market.

On the last day, the congress summarized the field trip, including the cross-cutting ideas and integrating the different perspectives in the “Action Day”, where the establishment of current and future actions were settled providing cooperation, existing platforms, common projects and networks as examples of visible and a real road-map for Small-Scale Fisheries in the future.

Talking to fishers and conducting round tables with stakeholders provided Diego key information, strong connections and promising initiatives to continue researching in the sustainability of Future Oceans and  Small-Scale Fisheries from transdisciplinarity, pluralistic and a common social-ecological perspective.