Working Groups

Working Groups

Knowledge exchange and capacity building among researchers and stakeholders of the Blue Economy will be facilitated through a variety of virtual and in-person activities, such as meetings, research workshops, an online seminar series, training schools, and conferences.

WG1

Maritime Occupations

Prof. Marco Alberio

Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna

Dr. Gesa Praetorius

Senior Researcher - The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute

This working group focuses on work and employment in different maritime professions and occupations: fishing, maritime transportation, coastal and maritime tourism etc.

We look at the transformations of maritime professions and occupations both in terms of employment in connection with economic trends, environmental changes, political regulations etc. and in terms of identities and relations to work. One of our first aims is to allow an overview of challenges and opportunities with regards to various maritime professions, finding common elements and building a sort of “(road)map of challenges and opportunities in blue economy: new skills-competencies vs skill retainment, new potential workers (groups normally not in maritime professions of various reasons) vs “old” workers, different countries’ profiles etc.

WG2

Food Security & Sustainable Blue Consumption

Dr. Cristina Pita

Institute of Marine Research (IIM-CSIC) & CESAM- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro (lead)

Dr. Sebastian Villasante

Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (co-lead)

This working group focuses on value chains, trade and consumption of blue products (e.g., seafood).

It seeks to understand aquatic food value chains (fisheries and aquaculture), their governance system, markets, trade, and alternative marketing initiatives (e.g., to add-value to products, to link small-scale fisheries with local tourism); as well as investigate consumers’ preferences for aquatic food products. Our main aim is to provide an overview of the transformation, challenges and opportunities faced by aquatic food systems (from producer to consumer) in Europe and beyond.

WG3

Port cities and coastal communities

Assoc. Prof. Maciej Kowalewski

University of Szczecin/UNESCO Chair for Social Sustainability (lead)

Assoc. Prof. Natasa Vaidianu

Ovidius University of Constanta/University of Bucharest, Romania (co-lead)

The focus of Working Group 3 is on port cities and coastal communities, which are vital due to their strategic locations and reliance on marine spaces and resources.

The Blue Economy operates always within a social and spatial context, recognizing the connections between ports, cities, and coastal communities, involving diverse groups, actors, and institutions. Our task, among others, is to understand how these cities and communities can balance economic growth with environmental protection.

WG4

Fisheries governance & emergent activities

Prof. José J. Pascual-Fernandez

University of La Laguna, Institute of Social Research and Tourism, Spain (lead)

Dr. Irmak Ertör

Bogazici University, Türkiye (co-lead)

This working group focuses on the governance challenges related to traditional activities in the marine space, like fisheries, when new economic developments and infrastructures are transforming human uses of the ocean and the coastal areas.

This governance perspective should analyse new trends like Marine Spatial Planning, user groups’ diverse interests, civil society organisations’ roles, collective action challenges, alternative regulatory approaches, and many other issues that need proper analysis from social sciences and governance perspectives.

WG5

Climate change & natural hazards

Dr. Jerneja Penca

Science and Research Centre Koper (lead)

Dr. Cristina Piñeiro-Corbeira

Universidad de A Coruña (co-lead)

This working group focuses on the impact of climate change and natural hazards for coastal populations and the Blue Economy.

It seeks to understand the economic, social and environmental impact of climate change and natural hazards; study coastal residents’ experiences and attitudes to climate change as well as strategies for preventing, reducing and mitigating the impact of climate change and natural hazards.