The Hastings fishing community and fishery partnerships have worked with the University to understand the different ways - social, economic, cultural and environmental - that Inshore Fisheries (IF) contribute to the sustainability of their town and community. Community members took an active and central role in research project partner meetings across the region, research fieldwork exercises and workshops, dissemination of research findings to multiple audiences, and were integral to identifying the focus and scope of research pilot activity. Community support, co-design and/or delivery of the research methods has been paramount to the success of this project and the value and relevance of data captured for the fishery.

This collaboration & research co-design has been enabled by GIFS [Geography of Inshore Fishing and Sustainability], a European funded project to better understand the importance of inshore fishing in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and France. Each of the methods in the diagram below were developed by a GIFS partner and applied in Hastings in collaboration with the local fishing community (via Hastings Fishermans Protection Society and the Hastings FLAG (Fisheries Local Action Group)) and key stakeholders (Natural England, Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (HFPS) and Hastings Borough Council). Working in a collaborative way has helped to further mainstream the value of local fishing community knowledge in identifying research needs and in enabling the context sensitive use of these research methods. It encourages a more inclusive data collection approach and locally informed data set, as well as enabling a positive knowledge exchange between the different parties to improve future monitoring and marine/ coastal planning.

European partnerships The fishing community has taken part in and helped build new cross-border partnerships and knowledge exchange networks with the Municipality of Middelburg (in west Netherlands) with regard to fisheries related education. The cross-border sharing of ideas, resources and solutions to challenges in building sustainable communities is central to helping the Hastings fishing community and stakeholders in planning how they might secure a sustainable future for their fleet. For example, the development of professional education resources in Hastings via the GIFS education model method sought to build upon the existing fisheries-led education and enable this to be mapped to national curriculum. Both the resources and strategic planning increases the security of this education offer for local community and visitors; and helps to develop this alternative income stream for fishers. HFPS have delivered key research outputs for this element of the project, been central in shaping the model of good practice developed and presented these findings to wider stakeholders in local and national forums. The participatory methods used demonstrated to a wide range of local stakeholders (including members of the FLAG) how it is possible to capture different shared cultural values regarding the marine environment that can be used to inform marine & coastal planning and secure consensus around sustainable community policy objectives and budgets. While additional funding and expertise provided by Natural England supported the Sussex IFCA and University of Brighton in their work with the local fleet to capture more accurate seabed data. Involving the fishers in research data capture & design in this way contributes to more effective and equitable inclusion of fishers in the fisheries science and conservation process.

This process has helped build capacity within both the University research team and fishing community stakeholders through the development of portable research tools; and the research project experience, knowledge & skills needed for fishing & scientific communities to work together successfully in an equitable and collaborative way.

Jo Orchard-Webb, Research Fellow School of Environment and Technology

Learn more about the methods used and project findings at: www.gifsproject.eu