SAF21 project managers, PhD researchers and representatives of partner organisations.

The third network meeting for the project Social Science Aspects of Fisheries for the 21st Century (acronym: SAF21) took place in Utrecht the 26 – 27th of October 2016 where Trackwell participated as a partner organization and an external evaluator.

The SAF21 project is part of the European Training Network (ETN) in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions for excellence science, funded under the Horizon 2020 Program. In essence SAF21 is a research project with the main objective of managing socio-ecological complex systems better. The project focuses specifically on the EU fisheries and fisheries management strategies.

SAF21 differs from conventional PhD training programs in the way the research and training program is structured. The program provides, training and networking opportunities for researchers who then use the latest research tools, such as simulation and participatory approaches, with the aim of better understanding the social issues facing the fisheries management systems in Europe.

The meeting offered Trackwell and other representatives of the partner organization the opportunity to introduce their institutions to the consortium and discuss training and research opportunities together with the PhD researchers, SAF21 supervisors. Trackwell then participated in the supervisory board meeting with other members of the external advisory panel such as the Icelandic Ocean Cluster, The Icelandic Small Boats Owner Association, The South African Association for Marine Biological Research and more.