Abstract: The ecosystem approach to fisheries management is gaining credence in fisheries policy and practice.  The approach is now widely advocated by organisations such as the UN FAO and EU for management of fisheries globally, including for small-scale tropical fisheries in developing countries. However, the approach is normative and largely untested. I will present preliminary insights from an action research project to apply and ‘critique’ an ecosystem approach to fisheries management in four countries: Indonesia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Tanzania. I will focus on the participatory diagnosis and adaptive management process underway in Tanzania. The presentation outlines some of the challenges of adopting an EAFM and reports on the issues and response strategies that fisheries stakeholders in Tanzania view as most important going forward. The project is moving into its second year and your feedback on its intended direction would be welcome.

Biography: Louisa is a social scientist with interests in governance of coastal social-ecological systems in developing countries. Louisa completed her PhD at the University of East Anglia (UK) and held a post-doctoral position at WorldFish (Malaysia) before joining the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in 2010. Her current research focuses on the structures (institutions, policy, networks) and processes (leadership, knowledge exchange) driving changes in governance, along a spectrum from adaptation to transformation.