Pate & Kiwayu Islands
Lamu Archipelago, Kenya
The Sea Collective Team embarked on a week-long data collection expedition around the islands of Pate and Kiwayu in the Lamu Archipelago of Northern Kenya. We visited fishing villages and collected biophysical data at fishing sites and marine protected areas (tengefu), on a traditional lamu dhow.
The goal of the expedition was to conduct a feasibility study for a future research project which will take place in February 2025, once again, using a local dhow. We also filmed a short documentary focused on the lives of local fishing communities and their perceptions of marine protected areas.
To better understand the Tengefu Movement, we conducted interviews with world-renowned researchers, Tim McClanahan and Remy Oddenyo from WCS to give us more insight. You can watch the full interviews here before the release of the film.
Raja Ampat
West Papua, Indonesia
As our research spans the world’s tropical nearshore ecosystems, it is beneficial to establish baselines. This means we are looking for places that are modeling successful management or marine protected areas we can look at as templates.
Raja Ampat is the epicenter of biodiversity in the coral triangle. It has more fish and coral species than anywhere else in the world. The communities here are working together with NGOs to not only protect biodiversity but preserve traditional fishing cultures as well.
We are navigating northern Raja Ampat aboard Medea, a 46ft monohull sailboat, conducting biophysical and social surveys.
Why survey an ecosystem that is already successfully protecting habitats, fish and fisheries? Well, we are testing our methods. We are using our biophysical and social surveys as a control which will be repeated around the world.
Maharashtra & Kerala
India
Though Sea Collective predominantly focuses on protecting reef fisheries, we aim to stress the importance of ecosystem connectivity through creative avenues, such as our film, Rooted in Resilience; Stories from the Mangroves.
The Sea Collective team traveled to western India through the states of Maharashtra and Kerala, to tell four unique stories of mangrove conservation.
We began in southern Maharashtra in the fishing village of Vengurla where a group of women called the Swamini Group were overcoming social norms to protect the mangroves that are essential to protecting fisheries and coastlines in a changing climate.
From Vengurla, we headed north to meet Mr. Laxman Tari and his family, who run tours through the mangroves and have established sustainable aquaculture projects to benefit their fishing community.
We then ventured to Kerala to meet members of the Kannur Kandal Project, who secure mangrove ecosystems from private owners and run their own mangrove nursery.
Our last stop was on Vypin Island, a low-lying neighborhood near Kochi that is threatened by development and sea level rise. The Mangrove Man, TP Murukesan, is fighting for the future of his island home by planting mangroves from his nursery.
