Coastal transformations and fisher wellbeing - synthesized perspectives from India and Europe

This research examines how government policies with regard to coastal development have transformed the physical, ecological and social character of coastal areas in India and select European countries and how this has impacted the wellbeing of fishing communities, who are historically the main coastal inhabitants. While the modernization of fisheries that occurred in the past decades was aimed at economic progress, it also resulted in damage to marine ecosystems, to inequality and social conflict. Similarly, policies towards the end of the 20th century aimed at promoting industrial development and tourism threatened fishers by laying claim to coastal lands and polluting the seas they fish in.

We investigate this story of coastal transformation through a number of thematic work packages. First, we geospatially map the institutional and socioecological changes that have occurred in two Indian case study sites on the east and west coasts and supplement this with more coarse analyses of coastal transformation in UK, France, Norway and Slovenia. Second, we focus on specific transformations, namely the technical modernization of fisheries, the industrialization of the coast and the promotion of tourism and cultural heritage. Third, we explore how fishers' wellbeing is affected and how they respond to coastal transformations, either through resistance or livelihood migration. We also examine how they tell their histories of transformation and imagine their futures. The results of these focused studies are finally synthesized and inserted into the geospatial database.

The research takes a political ecology approach that focuses on the winners and losers of coastal transformation. We define wellbeing as: "a state of being with others, which arises where human needs are met, where one can act meaningfully (through relations with others) to pursue one's goals, and where one can enjoy a satisfactory quality of life" (McGregor 2007). Wellbeing is understood to include three dimensions: (a) material wellbeing (livelihoods in present and imagined futures); (b) relational wellbeing (with a focus on equality across genders and generations within fishing communities, and vis-à-vis external actors); and (c) subjective wellbeing (perceptions thereof). As fishers depend on common pool marine resources, the degradation and ineffective governance of these resources is a factor influencing all three dimensions hereof. Our research will be quantitative and qualitative and is ultimately aimed at seeking insights into individual, household and community responses to coastal transformation and short-term actions and strategic investments, both individually and collectively.

The research is expected to produce a range of outputs, both academic and non-academic. Apart from a series of journal publications, we will produce research and policy briefs to be shared with global and national policy-makers. Core sections of an interactive coastal web mapping will be produced in the case of India for sharing with civil society and NGO actors, fisher organizations and policy-makers. A mobile exhibition "Heritage for Future Fisheries" will be curated, traveling to four fieldwork locations (2 in India, 1 in Slovenia and 1 in the UK). As noted in the pathways to impact, this exhibition will set up collaborative dialogues with a range of stakeholders. We will also produce a set of articles and blogs for popular media across the five countries.

This research on coastal transformation and its impact on fisher wellbeing in India and select European countries will be of use to a wide audience of academics, policy makers and private sector actors at various levels, from the global and national to local, and most importantly fishing communities. Fishing communities, who have considered the coast their home, have witnessed significant physical and institutional changes to the coast, while fishing itself has undergone large technological changes. By understanding these processes of change and the role of the state, market and private sector in driving them, this research will provide much needed input for future policy formulation and tools to fishing communities to be part of the policy process so that coastal governance is more sustainable in nature and cognizant of fisher wellbeing.

At the global level, our research is very relevant to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and specifically to SDG 14, which concerns conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. It relates to FAO's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995), as well as to the implementation of FAO's Voluntary Guidelines for Sustaining Small-Scale Fisheries (2014) and the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (2012). With its links to decent work, educational and cultural opportunities as part of fisher imaginations and heritage, our work will also be relevant to other international agencies such as the International Labour Organization and the UN Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

One of our contentions is that the state in promoting the coast as a site of development has not adequately understood the ecological and social consequences of its policies. By studying processes of coastal transformation in two districts of India (one on the West coast and one on the East), we hope to map out not only the changes that have occurred to the physical, ecological and institutional landscapes but also who the winners and losers of such changes are. This will provide a rich database, which we will put together in a GIS tool that not only helps us visualize transformation but also serves as an instrument for policy-making. On the European side, we will produce coarse histories that map out coastal transformation so that comparative learning can be done across study sites.

This project, which includes case studies of different fisheries and socio-economic contexts, will allow an exploration of the different expectations, needs and wellbeing implications for fishing communities. Moreover, given the rich data that case studies across WPs will produce, apart from enhancing knowledge, one of the important expected impacts is to produce material that is useful for education. Project outputs will be fed into an exhibition catalogue, prepared parallel with an exhibition "Heritage for Future Fisheries" which will also be used as resource material. This mobile exhibition, by highlighting the fishing histories of the coast (fishing gear and specific fisheries) will interpret scientific findings into an accessible and relatable form that will easily communicate with and impact wider audiences, specifically in relation to environmental sensitization, spatial justice and wellbeing. At the end of the project, the ownership of the exhibition will be transferred to local museums or collections for future use and community engagement.

Further, the research aims to both empower grassroots organizations and activists working with fisher communities and the collectives of fisher organizations, especially in India (and where possible in Europe), to respond effectively to the processes of coastal transformations. For this purpose, meetings with be organized with fisher representatives and relevant actors from civil society, as well as government actors, in order to discuss project goals and results.