Jörn Schmidt

The overarching goal of this project is the use of interdisciplinary approaches integrating natural science, social science and arts and transdicsciplinary approaches expanding the peer review group to stakeholders and the general public to improve the understanding of maritime systems, with a focus on fisheries. Today’s fisheries system is a hierarchical system including science institutions, governmental institutions, the catch sector, the processing industry, consumers and environmental organizations from the local fisherman in Heiligenhafen to the United Nations (Figure 1). The challenge of future fisheries governance is to change the top down command and control system to a participatory system (Jentoft et al. 2010) to define common goals with social acceptance, achieve better compliance, and finally sustain a viable fishery. The project proposal will have one main part (A) new tools of extended science communication integrating stakeholder perception and two integrated parts (B) ecological and economic models and (C) analysis of systems structure. The project requires expertise in fisheries science, social science, communication design and programming. I will lead the research from a broad fisheries science background, including biology, modelling, assessment and management, but will furthermore facilitate the collaboration between the other disciplines as well as outside the science system to approach the tasks. Collaboration includes cluster internal as well as national and international scientists, stakeholders and the general public.

This project will initiate a partnership between the Future Ocean Cluster and the Earth Institute at Columbia University by collaborating on development of a novel, game-based platform that builds on prior investments of both partners. We propose to develop a computer-based interactive and interdisciplinary spatial planning game, that will combine the strengths of Kiel’s ecoOcean platform with the SMARTIC (Strategic MAnagement of Resources in TImes of Change) tool under development by the Earth Institute. Specifically, this proposal requests support to 1) adapt EcoOcean’s simulation software to depict region-specific case studies guided by the framework of the SMARTIC role playing game, and 2) to research the game’s effectiveness in helping the public and decision makers become “more aware of the need for responsible and sustainable use of the ocean …”

Increasing overexploitation of worldwide fish stocks, in particular in developing countries, calls for cost effective fisheries and ecosystem data collection as basis for sustainable stock management strategies. Here, we propose a pilot study that links state-of-the-art oceanographic research with echosounding technology and fishermen citizen science. This study aims to develop autonomous monitoring capabilites for small pelagic fish around Cape Verde Islands that are piggy-backed to oceanographic observations.

Global assessments of vulnerability to climate-change induced sea-level rise and of its associated impacts are impeded by the severe lack of information on coastal physical characteristics. We propose the development of a crowd science framework that enables contributors to collect and transmit information and data on coastal physical and geomorphological characteristics and coastal types. Furthermore, we aim to expand the scope of the proposed framework for the purpose of climate change communication, and specifically for raising awareness regarding related risks and opportunities in coastal regions. The acquired data will be included in a spatial database, which will support the application of integrated assessment models. The framework will initially be developed for a pilot application for the Mediterranean basin and, if successful, will be extended to global scale. We envisage the framework to also be transferable to other sectors or themes, such as fisheries or marine resources.

Fishing communities in coastal parts of Nigeria face an increase in exploitation of fish stocks and in use conflicts with the petroleum production in their waters. To study the interdependence of these sectors and the additional threat of climate change and pollution, we propose a study, which collects data on the economic situation as well as perceptions of threats and regulations within the coastal communities by means of interview surveys, linking existing and new scientific knowledge with local knowledge. Questionnaire development as well as results appraisal will be carried out in dialogue with key stakeholders. Results will reveal adaptation potential of these communities and provide scientific advice for the region. The project strengthens international collaboration, capacity building and expertise in trans-disciplinary science.