Many of us reside on the coast, or interact with the ocean regularly, through many diverse connections; our cultures and traditions are heavily influenced by these connections and history.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Ocean Frontier Institute (Module I), in collaboration with Moving Together for Marine Conservation (MTC), a multi-year outreach and governance capacity-building project, will host Ocean People Inspire.

It’s an event that will celebrate the inspiring role the ocean and coasts play in our lives and communities and feature artists, authors, researchers, students and more as they share their art, writing, perspectives and experiences.

Ocean People Inspire is helping to wrap up OFI Module I, which is about informing governance responses in a changing ocean. The project looked at how changes to Newfoundland and Labrador’s fisheries impact not only the future of the fishery and coastal communities, but the provincial economy, as well.

Thursday’s event celebrates the completion of the research, collaborations and new avenues created through this work.

‘Listened to the stories’

Dr. Evan Andrews, Department of Geography and a Banting post-doctoral fellow at Memorial, is part of the host team.

Working as co-principal investigator of MTC alongside Memorial’s Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee, Dr. Andrews’ research involves identifying what people and groups require to work together to support fisheries and ocean sustainability.

“It was always very important to us that the project brings into focus the perspectives, priorities and values of the people living and working on coasts, including in fisheries,” he said. “We were keen to understand how different groups talk, collaborate and govern for fisheries and ocean sustainability, particularly in the context of small-scale fisheries marine conservation and climate change.”

Dr. Andrews says that many currently available academic sources do not fully reflect the perspectives of the people who live and work in coastal communities.

This is something he first witnessed years ago, he says, when he moved to Newfoundland and Labrador as a doctoral candidate to work with Dr. Chuenpagdee’s International Coastal Network Laboratory.

“While I was in Newfoundland, I was able to conduct interviews with people living on the Great Northern Peninsula, and I began to feel like what I was reading on the pages of journal articles seemed disconnected to what I was seeing in the province,” he said. “I listened to the stories and reflected on views and perspectives here. Fishers seemed different. Experiences in communities were more complicated. Life on coasts had depth and variety. People felt unheard. In these moments, and in many after, I have been inspired to bring people together to share stories and experiences, and to learn and bridge differences.”

Memorial University has a special obligation to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, something that is always top of mind for Dr. Andrews.

“I am learning every day from great faculty and staff who know how to make this obligation come to life in impactful and supportive ways, while contributing to knowledge and understanding more broadly.”

Ocean People Inspire takes place on Thursday, Sept. 12 from 6-9 p.m. at The Lantern, 35 Barnes Rd. in St. John’s.

Everyone is welcome and light refreshments, including local seafood, will be served. The event is free of charge.

No reservation is required. Donations to the local community food bank will be accepted at the door.

Background

Ocean People Inspire contributes to the 2024 Year of the Arts, named by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to celebrate the province’s rich arts and cultural sector.

OFI Module I (principle investigator: Dr. Chuenpagdee) is a collaborative research initiative that examines social, ecological, economic and institutional changes for the future of fisheries, coastal communities and oceans of Newfoundland and Labrador.

MTC (co-principle investigators Drs. Evan J. Andrews and Evan J. Andrews) is a multi-year outreach and governance capacity-building project focusing on creating community in marine conservation and informing Canada’s marine conservation targets.

Both projects are based at Memorial University.

Questions? Contact Evan Andrews via email or call 306-551-7697.