Knowing first hand Galician women shellfish gatherer

Grace Callahan, Watson Fellow is researching the role of women in fisheries and aquaculture around the world as  women play a key role in fishing and its industry. Grace aims to learn about the gendered dynamics of life in different fishing communities to examine how gender impacts individual vulnerability to climate change, and how fisherwomen perceive and adapt to ecological shifts around the world. So, after visiting Barbados and Tanzania, she arrived at Galicia to know in more detail Galician fisheries accompanied by Future Oceans Lab-CIM.

She visited our headquarters at campus of University of Vigo, and talked about her fellow research and her interesting previous experience, and we could share our work on adaptation solutions to face climate change impacts on fisheries, specially the research line developed within CLOCK project by Diego Salgueiro-Otero focus on climate adaptation of Galician artisanal fiheries. During this session, she could know in more detailed about its organization, gobernanza and its fisheries management.

After that, Grace and FOL members visited the Cambados Fisher Guild, and learned first hand about small-scale fisheries (SSF) management. This cofradía is the oldest fisher guild in Spain, and is located in Ría de Arousa, one of the main shellfish beds in Galicia (Spain). On this occasion, we counted with two special guides, Carlos Mariño, “barefoot ecologist” who is in charge of Cambados fisheries monitoring and management and with Mª José, a shellfisher who takes part of Guimatur, a cultural association which works to spread the Galician fishing culture and the traditional values of sea work. In Cambados, there is a strong presence of women, dedicated mainly to shellfishing on foot.

Sharing time once more with these all amazing shellfish gathers  allowed us to improve knowledge on how fisher guilds work to keep working on how climate change affects Galician Artisanal fisheries. From FOL, we wants to thank you Carlos, Mª Jose and all fish harvesters for their warm welcome and their explanations.

We really appreciate Grace’s interest in our research, and we wish the best luck for your project.

Do not miss her Watson fellowship blog where she document her travels and her thoughts on gender, equity, and sustainable fisheries.