MONDAY, April 27 – 08:45
Welcome and Scene Setting
Welcome Address & Opening Remarks
Sampan Panjarat
Ms. Sampan Panjarat serves as the Secretary-General of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). She holds an M.Sc. in Natural Resources Management from the Asian Institute of Technology and completed specialized UN-Nippon Foundation training in Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
Formerly the Director of the Fisheries Policy and Planning Division of Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, Ms. Panjarat possesses extensive expertise in fisheries research and international cooperation. Her distinguished career includes serving as Chairperson of both SIOFA and INFOFISH. She is recognized for bridging high-level policy with grassroots impact through her dedicated work with small-scale fisheries.
Nantachai Sookkuea
President, Bangsaphan Fisheries Association
Kungwan Juntarashote
Kungwan Juntarashote is an Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Juntarashote holds a B.Sc. (Fisheries), M.Sc. (Development Economics), and a PhD in Agriculture Science (Fisheries). He has 40 years of teaching and research experience in the field of Fisheries Economics, Fisheries Management, Coastal Fisheries Management and small-scale fisheries development, both in Thailand and across Southeast Asia. Dr. Juntarashote was the Chair of Fisheries Management Department and Director of Coastal Development Centre for more than 10 years. He has been appointed as a Member of the National Fishery Policy Committee of Thailand and he also serves as an advisor to the Department of Fisheries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and to the Fisheries Association of Thailand. He is the Chair of TBTI Global Foundation.
Scene Setting
Abhilaksh Likhi
Department of Fisheries, Government of India
Joyce Kloulechad Beouch
Joyce Kloulechad Beouch is a prominent conservationist and a proactive member of her community in Palau. With a career that reflects a deep commitment to environmental preservation and community empowerment, Joyce has made significant contributions to the conservation and Indigenous resource management efforts within Palau and beyond. She is leading a women fishers project by supporting the development of giant clam farms for income while supporting reef restoration. She has dedicated her professional life to culturally appropriate environmental conservation and sustainable resource management. Her work is characterized by a profound understanding of the delicate balance between development and preservation of the Palauan way of life. Through her work, Joyce continues to inspire and lead efforts in conservation and community development, advocating for a sustainable future for Palau and the broader Pacifi c region.
Svein Jentoft
Svein Jentoft is Professor Emeritus at the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway. His long career as a social scientist, specializing on fisheries management and fisheries communities, has yielded numerous articles and books. He has been involved in, and led, many international projects in both the Global South and North. Jentoft is a founding member of TBTI and has been leading a working group on ʻGoverning the Governanceʼ and a research cluster related to the ʻSSF Guidelinesʼ. He has edited and authored several TBTI books, including the trilogy ‘Life Above Water’ (2019), ʻThe Gift of Communityʼ (2023) and ‘Reading Small-Scale Fisheries’ (2025).
MONDAY, April 27 – 10:45
Plenary session 1: Regenerative Wisdom
The plenary explores and grounds the concept of regenerative wisdom in the concrete experiences of researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of small-scale fisheries, food systems, and environmental governance. It aims to surface and examine the structural, institutional, and political barriers that currently prevent fishers and fish worker knowledge from being meaningfully integrated into governance frameworks at local, national, and international levels. In the spirit of the Congress, it aspires to be a source of hope and inspiration – drawing on real and inspiring examples of regenerative wisdom in action to motivate reflection and collective action among all the congress attendees. The panel is designed to be dialogic rather than presentational: a meaningful conversation across disciplines, sectors, and geographies that sets an ambitious and inclusive tone for the Congress as a whole.
Session chairs
Miguel Gonzalez
Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is an Associate Professor at York University with over 20 years of experience researching territorial autonomy regimes and resource governance. His scholarship centers on the rights and governance challenges facing Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, with a particular focus on small-scale fisheries and self-determination in coastal and transboundary contexts in the southern Caribbean sea. Dr. Gonzalez is co-author of "The Small-Scale Fisheries of Indigenous Peoples: A Struggle for Secure Tenure Rights," published in Transdisciplinarity for Small-Scale Fisheries Governance (Springer), alongside Svein Jentoft, Natasha Stacey, and Jackie Sunde. He also co-edited a special issue of Cuadernos del Caribe (No. 29) on the right to self-determination of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples in transboundary situations of the Central American Caribbean and the San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina Archipelago (UNAL-Colombia, 2024).
Derek Johnson
Miguel Gonzalez (PhD, York University) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Science and the current Coordinator of the International Development Studies program at York University, Toronto, Canada. In recent years Miguel has taught both in the undergraduate and graduate programs in International Development at York University. His current research and teaching relate to three broad themes and projects: Indigenous self-governance and territorial autonomous regimes in Latin America, the governance of small-scale fisheries in the global south, with a particular geographical concentration in the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast, and emerging authoritarianisms and the reduction of autonomous public spheres in Latin America, including restrictions to academic freedom and research, criminalization of civil society organizing, and persecution of independent journalism.
Panellists
Derek Johnson
Miguel Gonzalez (PhD, York University) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Science and the current Coordinator of the International Development Studies program at York University, Toronto, Canada. In recent years Miguel has taught both in the undergraduate and graduate programs in International Development at York University. His current research and teaching relate to three broad themes and projects: Indigenous self-governance and territorial autonomous regimes in Latin America, the governance of small-scale fisheries in the global south, with a particular geographical concentration in the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast, and emerging authoritarianisms and the reduction of autonomous public spheres in Latin America, including restrictions to academic freedom and research, criminalization of civil society organizing, and persecution of independent journalism.
William Cheung
Dr. William W. L. Cheung, FRSC, is Professor and Director of the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia and Canada Research Chair in Ocean Sustainability and Global Change. He is a leading expert on climate change effects on marine ecosystems, fisheries, and the communities that depend on them. His research brings together ecology, oceanography, economics, and social sciences to understand risks, explore solutions, and identify pathways toward sustainable and equitable ocean futures. Using interdisciplinary models, scenarios, and participatory approaches, his work spans local to global scales and helps inform policy and practice. Dr. Cheung directs the international partnership Solving Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus (Solving-FCB) and has played key roles in major global science-policy processes, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Editrudith Lukanga
Brock University, Canada
Amalendu Jyotishi
Dr. Amalendu Jyotishi is Professor and Associate Director at the School of Development, Azim Premji University. His research portfolio includes natural resources & institutions from a broader institutional economics perspective. He has three books, and over fifty research papers published in journals and book chapters to his credit. He also regularly writes in popular media. He is on the editorial board of a few journals, popular media on history, and photo essays. His current portfolio of research includes dried fish matters, small-scale fisheries, and reimagining small fish food systems. Dr. Jyotishi has collaborated on research projects supported by multilateral funding organizations including SSHRC, SSRC, NWO, SANDEE, ARC etc. He is also an advisor to a few Civil Society Organizations.
TUESDAY, April 28 – 08:45
Plenary session 2: Young Futures
Youth are often called the future of fisheries and oceans—but if that's true, why do so many young people feel like the future is being decided without them? In many governance spaces, youth perspectives remain invisible, even though young people in coastal communities and among emerging researchers care deeply about the future of marine environments, small-scale fisheries, and coastal communities. Behind the scenes, youth are already connected through lively networks of families, peers, schools, research labs, and community groups, quietly building ideas, energy, and momentum that rarely reach decision-making tables. Young Futures will flip the script: making the invisible visible by listening to youth, amplifying their voices, and sparking conversation about what real co-leadership could look like. Expect bold ideas, unexpected perspectives, and a glimpse of the futures that young people are already imagining and building.
Every Young Future will have a chance to contribute. The session is designed with multiple avenues for sharing, including live floor time, open exchange with fellow participants and facilitators, and an interactive poster, so that all voices have a place in the conversation. All those in attendance will also have opportunities to respond and engage throughout the session.
If you are a Young Future: This is your moment to be heard. Come prepared with a focused 2-minute contribution and be ready to be called on at any point during the session. Think about what you most want the room to know, using these questions as your guide:
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How would you describe the future in one word or phrase?
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Why does this matter for fisheries, oceans, or coastal communities?
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What should we start doing now to address it?
Your ideas, your hopes, and your strategies matter. Come ready to share them.
Session chairs
Evan Andrews
Evan Andrews is a Senior Research Fellow in Work Package 7 of the Marine Biomass Innovation project at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus, Canada. He is also Associate Faculty at Royal Roads University. There, he contributes to teaching and research in the School of Environment and Sustainability as well as Professional and Continuing Studies. His research sits within resource geography, with a focus on small-scale fisheries, fisheries and ocean governance, and transdisciplinary capacity, with sustained engagement with Indigenous Peoples, coastal communities, and government agencies. As co-founder and lead of the Canadian chapter of Too Big To Ignore: A Global Partnership for Small-Scale Fisheries Research, he coordinates partnership-building aimed at visibility and recognition of small-scale fisheries in Canada. He co-leads the Rethinking Transformation: Centring Msit No’kmaq for Just and Equitable Climate Adaptation (2024-2029; PI Dr. Erica Samms Hurley), which foregrounds Mi'kmaw worldviews in climate action across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Prateep Nayak
Prateep Kumar Nayak is a Professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Canada. He is also the Project Director of the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Global Partnership for building strong small-scale fisheries communities. Prateep’s academic background is in political science, environmental studies and international development. He does interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work with an active interest in combining social and ecological perspectives. Prateep’s research focuses on the understanding of complex human-environment connections (or disconnections) with particular attention to change, its drivers, their influence and possible multi-level responses. His research interests include commons governance, social-ecological system resilience, vulnerability-viability transitions, wellbeing, environmental justice and political ecology. Prateep has published over 85 refereed papers, books and book chapters, and over 350 policy, research, review, technical and editorial contributions, including as invited and keynote speaker.
Panellists: All the Young Futures!
TUESDAY, April 28 – 10:45
Plenary session 3: Just Harmony
TBTI community has long argued that small-scale fisheries can contribute to several SDGs, including SDG 16: “Peace, Justice and Strong Institution”. Now is the time to provide evidence, looking especially at how small-scale fisheries can help address tension, resolve conflicts, and bring harmony to coastal and ocean space. Small-scale fisheries make important contribution to the society, but it is not always possible for them to co-exist with other ocean users, given the existing policies and regulations. Just Harmony emphasizes the need to look at equity and justice as key principles for fisheries governance. Harmony should not be thought of as reaching agreement or consensus at any cause. Rather, it is about being respectful of each other, and of the differences, and working together to sort out how to deal with the ‘best’ option that does not seem to be ‘just’, at least not from the perspective of small-scale fisheries.
Session chairs
Milena Arias Schreiber
Milena Arias Schreiber is a Professor of Maritime and Ocean Socioecology at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden. She is an interdisciplinary fisheries researcher with a background spanning both natural and social sciences, focusing on marine environmental social sciences, fisheries governance, and the sustainability of small-scale fishing communities. Originally from Peru, Milena Schreiber earned her PhD in social and economic sciences from the University of Bremen (Germany) and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). Her work explores the social dimensions of marine resource management and governance and the application of transdisciplinary approaches to ocean sustainability. Her lately research projects were directed to identify drivers of pluriactivity among Swedish coastal fishers and to assess the contributions of women shellfish harvesters to community wellbeing along the coasts of Galicia in Spain.
Silvia Salas
Silvia Salas holds a multidisciplinary PhD. D. from UBC in Canada. She is a full professor at Cinvestav in Mexico, and she is a member of the Mexican Academy of Science, the National Researchers System in Mexico, TBTI Global and coordinator of TBTI Mexico. Dra. Salas has contributed to the development of management plans for several Mexican fisheries. She has also served on various advisory committees for management plans in Mexico and participated as an expert in numerous workshops organized by the FAO and other international organizations. She has also collaborated on several multidisciplinary projects associated with small-scale fisheries in Mexico and Latin America. Her research involves: a) the bioeconomic assessment of fisheries and management; b) the analysis of fishing strategies in small-scale fisheries; c) the analysis of fisheries value chains; d) the assessment of risk, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity in small-scale fisheries and fishing communities.
Panellists
Panellists
Kate Barclay
Kate Barclay is a social scientist who teaches in the sustainability and environment program at the University of Technology Sydney. Kate has researched the sustainable development of tuna resources in the Pacific since the late 1990s. A key focus is developing social and economic monitoring frameworks for coastal and ocean governance, for fisheries, aquaculture and marine conservation. Kate has produced Handbooks on gender equity, social inclusion, and human rights in coastal fisheries, aquaculture and tuna industries for Pacific Islands fisheries managers. She has conducted research for various organizations including the European Parliament, Greenpeace, the World Bank, and the Australian Government. Kate supervises higher degree research students on topics including fisheries governance and evaluating social benefits from seafood industries.
Alice Joan G. Ferrer
Alice Joan G. Ferrer is Professor 12 and UP Scientist at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV). Her research and advocacy interests include small-scale fisheries, coastal livelihoods, and gender in aquaculture and fisheries, among others. She is the founding Executive Director of the National Consortium for Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Development in the Philippines (aka Too Big to Ignore/TBTI Philippines), which has 48 higher education institutions as members. An economist by training, she has led national and international research projects aimed to improve the social and economic well-being of fishing communities. As an original member of TBTI, she works to promote inclusive governance, equitable policies, and the recognition of small-scale fishers’ roles in achieving sustainable and resilient coastal development in the Philippines. Presently, she is the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UPV, as well as the head of Socio-Economic Research and Data Analytic Center.
Brennan Lowery
Brennan Lowery is a transdisciplinary scholar, community developer, and supporter of place-based efforts to build more sustainable rural coastal communities. His research seeks to understand how the complex challenges facing rural coastal communities can be addressed by place-based solutions such as social innovation with a strong grounding in holistic sustainability and social justice. He has worked extensively in coastal communities of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada on community-based research, including the Rethinking Transformation project in which he is a co-investigator. With an interdisciplinary doctorate from Memorial University, Brennan has been involved in TBTI since 2016. He is currently an Assistant Professor at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada in the Social Entrepreneurship and Non-Profit Management program.
WEDNESDAY, April 29 – 13:30
Plenary session 4: Policy Forum
TBTI community has long argued that small-scale fisheries can contribute to several SDGs, including SDG 16: “Peace, Justice and Strong Institution”. Now is the time to provide evidence, looking especially at how small-scale fisheries can help address tension, resolve conflicts, and bring harmony to coastal and ocean space. Small-scale fisheries make important contribution to the society, but it is not always possible for them to co-exist with other ocean users, given the existing policies and regulations. Just Harmony emphasizes the need to look at equity and justice as key principles for fisheries governance. Harmony should not be thought of as reaching agreement or consensus at any cause. Rather, it is about being respectful of each other, and of the differences, and working together to sort out how to deal with the ‘best’ option that does not seem to be ‘just’, at least not from the perspective of small-scale fisheries.
Session chairs
Katia Frangoudes
I am a political scientist specializing in fisheries and aquaculture, with research focused on small-scale fisheries and gender equality. I am a avid advocate for the rights of small-scale fishers and women to improve their visibility. Over the past ten years, I have expanded my work to include a third area: the social dimension of fisheries in European Union, with particular attention to the selection of indicators. Now, as an retired scientist, I am concentrating my efforts on AKTEA, the European network of women in fisheries, as well as on the development of social indicators for EU fisheries and the global TBTI initiative.
Ratana Chuenpagdee
Ratana Chuenpagdee is a University Researcher Professor at Memorial University in St. John's, Canada. She leads the global partnership for small-scale fisheries, Too Big To Ignore (TBTI), which aims to elevate the profile of small-scale fisheries and rectify their marginalization in national and international policies. Some of the current activities are 'Blue Justice' for small-scale fisheries, transdisciplinary capacity training to support the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, and innovative fisheries governance.
Panellists
Lubyayi Margaret Nakato
Margaret is a development practitioner working with fisher women on strengthening livelihoods, knowledge and skills empowerment, self-organization for advocacy and defending their human rights. She is the founder and Executive Director of Katosi Women Development Trust. She has successfully organized 1,401 women to work together placing women as drivers of transformative initiatives with a multiplier effect on the wider community. Margaret is the recipient of the Margarita Lizárraga Medal for the biennium 2020-2021 from FAO recognizing her success through Katosi Women Development Trust for organizing women in fishing communities to work together empowering them with knowledge and skill, access to training, markets and technology. She was also recognized as early partner in development and implementation of the SSF Guidelines. She holds a Master of Science in Development Management from Open University, UK and Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies from University of South Africa.
Lilian Ibengwe
Lilian J. Ibengwe is a Principal Fisheries Officer, employed by the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries since 2006. Under different capacities, she has worked in the area of fisheries management, policy and planning, supporting national capacities in small scale fisheries, promoting regional and international cooperation in fisheries governance. Since 2018, Ms. Ibengwe has been entrusted with the main duties of coordinating the Small Sacle Fisheries Guidelines project's implementation in Tanzania. Her significant contributions include: Establishing Fisheries Gender Desk at the Ministry in mainland Tanzania; development of National Plan of Action for implementing Small Sacle Fisheries Guidelines; and Facilitated establishment of Tanzania Women Fishworkers Association (TAWFA).
María José Barragán Paladines
María José obtained a PhD in Human Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada. Her undergraduate in Biological Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University and her Master’s in Sustainable Resource Management at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, paved her research interest on coastal marine ecosystems and marine protected areas (MPAs) with special attention paid to marine wildlife management. Her PhD research was inspired by the interactive governance framework applied to better understand the governability of MPAs, oceans and marine systems, with the case study of the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Over the past decade, María José collaborated with various research clusters, such as Too Big to Ignore TBTI and Global Research Partnership for Small-Scale Fisheries. These collaborations produced initiatives and publications on small-scale fisheries. She is currently the Science Director at Charles Darwin Foundation, having served as its Interim Executive Director from April 2020 to February 2021.
Abhilaksh Likhi
Department of Fisheries, Government of India
Denis Baily
After training as a political economist specializing in development economics in France and
marine environment and resources management in Japan, Denis Bailly worked first with the
economist team of the French marine research institute, IFREMER, and then as lecturer at the University of Brest (UBO). His research focused on development of aquaculture in Europe
and Southeast Asia, integrated and participatory assessments in support of marine policies,
including ICZM, MSP and conservation in international water. Recently retired from the
university, he contributed to the creation of the French-speaking branch of the Advisory
Committee on the Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) in 2024 and acts as senior fellow of the
United Nations University (UNU) in order to support the proposal to create a UNU Ocean and
Coasts Institute in France. He is a research associate at AMURE, the Centre for maritime law
and economics, where he has conducted most of his research since 1986.