Marine Protected areas and small-scale fisheries

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For four years, I worked as a Research Assistant and then Field Research Coordinator in the ONJA Lab at Middlebury College for Dr. Mez Baker-Médard. I was hired at the inception of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Coupled Natural and Human Systems grant to help pilot and launch a project studying the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) in Madagascar. The research incorporated biodiversity censuses and social impact factors like gender, race, and class to create a holistic assessment of MPAs. It theorized that community-engagement in management decisions as well as fisher’s harvest preferences (where they fish, what they fish, how frequently they fish) inform the ecological success of an MPA.

To pilot this project, I designed and implemented research methods and established protocols for ecological data collection and analysis. I conducted an extensive literature review on methods to collect data on fish biodiversity including underwater visual censuses and baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs), and made recommendations on which method we should use based on the cost and time efficiency as well as the accuracy of each technique. I then created a comprehensive database of fish species for on-site data collection and for use by students and researchers in Madagascar. I also explored methods to assess macroinvertebrate diversity and selected key indicator species related to harvest pressure.

In Madagascar, I trained and supervised U.S. and Malagasy research assistants to build capacity, and organized and managed project logistics. We built and deployed BRUVs to assess fish populations, conducted snorkel quadrats to assess invertebrate populations, and interviewed fishers and village officials about harvest pressure and marine park management.

While conducting interviews on marine protected areas, the topic of sea cucumber aquaculture surfaced as another form of ocean enclosure. To further understand these impacts, I composed interview questions about the social impacts of sea cucumber aquaculture and translated interview responses from French to English. Dr. Baker-Médard and I compiled the results from these interviews to co-author a paper titled “Troubling the Waters: Gendered Dispossession, Violence, and Sea Cucumber aquaculture in Madagascar”, highlighting the ways residents in SW Madagascar have been excluded from decision making in sustainable seafood production. Through Dr. Baker-Médard's mentorship and this research, I learned to think critically about who receives the benefits and burdens of marine conservation efforts and to prioritize the needs and values of people living in areas where conservation projects take place.