%T Fishing for Answers: Methodologies to Assess Dredging Impacts  on Small-scale Fishing Livelihood
%A Viola Angesti
%D 2024
%L theses_frw4747
%X Small-scale fisheries are vital to their communities, providing livelihoods, subsistence, and sociocultural value. However, they face increasing pressures from climate change and coastal projects like dredging, which risk being labeled as ocean ‘grabbing’ if not carefully managed. These impacts can alter ecological compositions essential for fish stocks and restrict access to fishing grounds, potentially interfering with livelihoods. Understanding these impacts is critical for effective mitigation, yet detailed assessments have been limited. 
This study addresses this gap by exploring methodologies to assess the impacts of dredging on small-scale fisheries. It identifies impact zones, focusing on extractive activities and equipment presence, and proposes a framework to assess components of small-scale fisheries across socioecological systems (resource systems, resource units, governance, and users). Using systematic literature reviews resulting in 22 case studies, document analysis of 4 main industry references, and 32 in-depth interviews, it specifies measurable components across ecological, operational, and spatial dimensions to establish baselines and monitor impacts over time. Quantifying impacts is feasible with sufficient data, but its data collection and analysis methodologies must also serve the needs of communities.
In summary, attributing changes in small-scale fisheries to dredging is complex due to the dynamic marine environment and climate change effects. While environmental and ecological impacts are hard to attribute, disruptions to fishing operations are more apparent. This research amalgamates resources and perspectives from both academic and industrial standpoints regarding dredging and small-scale fisheries, areas rarely explored in tandem. Moving forward, further studies should integrate more direct community involvement to gather more contextual insights in different locations globally.