profile
Claire Collins
Postgraduate Research Student
07850998854
The Farmhouse
The Farmhouse, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
Overview
My research interests lie in combined socio-ecological perspectives of marine policy and management. I am interested in how marine conservation and management can be improved through the use of participatory and collaborative processes to include wider stakeholder perspectives. My current research focuses on the drivers for targeting sharks and also illegal fisheries within the Indian Ocean region. My fieldwork involves data collection on value chains for shark fisheries, perceptions of fisheries regulations and management, and understanding spatial and temporal movements of highly mobile fishing fleets.
Previously, I have worked as a fisheries consultant with a focus on supply chain management, small-scale fisheries and marine protected areas and I have also spent time working in remote environments focusing on reef check monitoring and community-based mangrove rehabilitation.
Broad research specialisms
Fisheries management and governance
Shark fisheries
Behavioral responses to socio-ecological changes
Interdisciplinary research methods
Qualifications
MSc Aquatic Resource Management (Kings College London)
BSc Zoology (University of Manchester)
Research
Research projects
Project Title: Livelihood options of shark fishing communities in Sri Lanka and India and implications for large-scale, remote marine protected area management
Supervisors: Dr Ana Nuno (University of Exeter), Dr Tom Letessier (ZSL), Dr Annette Broderick (University of Exeter)
Funding Body: Bertarelli Foundation
Project Description:
This project aims to improve the understanding of the socio-economic context within which elasmobranch fisheries exist in South West Sri Lanka and India and key drivers for behavior change. It aims to identify how fisher perceptions and values interact with socio-economic and ecological changes with a view to improving effectiveness of governance and management. The project will utilize a mixed-methods approach to collect both qualitative and quantitative data on fisher livelihoods, perceptions and model potential mitigation measures to unsustainable fishing practices.