Working in Fisheries - Fish and Aquaculture: a celebration of women’s contribution and experience

The sustainable provision of blue foods, including fisheries and aquaculture products, is intricately linked to social and gender dynamics. Understanding the complexities and challenges in these areas in the marine realm is vital for achieving holistic ocean sustainability. The contributions in this Research Topic will explore gender equity and gender equality as seen through the eyes of women with a background in fisheries and aquaculture. Ultimately, this Research Topic aspires to highlight lessons learned in areas of applied seafood sector engagement, research and policy to inform decision-making, shape policies, and guide inclusive progress in the blue food provisions sector.

Contributions are encouraged from women that will explore innovative approaches that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Unique regional and generational stories to explore context-specific solutions for women working in fisheries and aquaculture are also welcomed, as well as articles combining semi-quantitative summaries of personal, institutional, or regional experience (success in applications, involvement in strategic or governance roles, workplace and or workload considerations). Whether you are a leading fisheries policy analyst, working in aspects of the aquaculture industry, fishing or seafood industries, a scientist, or a fish processor, your perspectives will be valued in this Research Topic.

For this collection, we invite contributions in the form of Opinion articles. Opinion articles should be no more than 2,000 words and may contain no more than 1 figure/table. Please select this article type when submitting to ensure it is handled correctly. We ask those developing a submission to review the scope of their role in the industry, and to consider the following questions:

1. How did you get into your area of work?
2. Did you perceive there were barriers for women during your studies and/or subsequent working life?
3. What would you say to women and gender minorities who are thinking of working in fisheries or aquaculture- from working in the field, industry, management, or science?

We are particularly interested to hear how fisheries and aquaculture research has (or has not) changed over time, recent work in the field, how research has had a real-world impact and whether organisations are now welcoming more women and gender minorities into this area.

Recognising the potential barrier fees may pose for authors, discounts are available to those intending to submit to this Research Topic. Please reach out to the journal directly for more information on accessing these via oceansustainability@frontiersin.org

Image: Fisheries scientist Dr Brit Finucci, National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, New Zealand, releases a tagged prickly dogfish (Oxynotus bruniensis) from the RV Tangaroa as part of a study understanding capture stress to sharks.

Keywords: women in fisheries; blue foods; ocean sustainability; gender equity

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.