2025 People & the Sea Conference

24-27 June 2025, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Tensions, Trade-offs, and Transformations for the Ocean Decade and Beyond

You can find the conference programme here.

You can register for the conference using this link: https://www.aanmelder.nl/mare2025/subscribe

This year’s conference focuses on the balance between tensions, trade-offs, and the potential transformations required for the future of sustainable marine resource management and governance, thriving coastal livelihoods and healthy, biodiverse oceans. The conference takes place right in the middle of the Ocean decade (2020-2030) and MARE seizes the opportunity to reflect on where we currently stand using the ‘People and the Sea’ lens. Climate change and the increase(d) (of) activities are profoundly shaping the health and functioning of our seas and oceans and thus of our global wellbeing. Although our current understanding of the marine social-ecological system and the impacts of human uses grows, available space(s) decline(s), urging policy makers to make necessary trade-offs. Also, insights, access, impacts and capabilities are unevenly distributed resulting in tensions across social, economic, and political dimensions. All of this asks for transformation, yet the kind of transformation is debated because we can’t agree on ‘the ocean we want’.

MARE invites participants to contribute to the four sub-themes of this conference mentioned below. The bullets below the sub themes serve as inspiration for contributors. With all contributions related to these themes we can take stock of the current social scientific understanding of where we stand. These contributions can be about a range of sectors including fisheries (small-scale fisheries, aquaculture, etc), nature-protection and restoration/conservation, tourism, shipping, energy production or other human activities at sea, and cover themes such as governance, required knowledge(s), power and politics, livelihoods and culture, and values and norms. Inter- and transdisciplinary contributions are more than welcome. During the conference, building on all contributions we will reflect on what social scientific knowledge is needed for the second part of the UN Ocean Decade and beyond. As such MARE wishes to co-construct the ‘science we need for the ocean we want’.

The MARE conference has been endorsed as an Ocean Decade activity.

Subthemes

Tensions in Ocean Spaces and Coastal Communities:
- Examining conflicts arising from competing interests (e.g., fishing, tourism, conservation) in coastal areas and open ocean (e.g. ‘energy islands’ in Denmark, renewable energy projects in general)
- Understanding social resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of change, including justice and equity.
- Which processes and or methods help resolve tensions and direct towards solutions?
- How are marine geopolitical tensions impacting coastal communities and (governance of) activities?
- Mobilities vs boundaries; understanding ‘place’ in changing environments
- Are we progressing after years of discussing equity and human rights…i.e. Or is it just more ‘blue’ buzzwords?
- Change often produces tension, but can tensions also be positive? (Tensions for positive change?)
- Who are potential winners and losers in the future blue economy? (Class analysis, Maritime labor and human rights, political economy lens)
Trade-offs in Blue Economy Development:
- Assessing the costs and benefits of marine resource exploitation
- How do we measure value(s)?
- Cumulative assessments of impacts (economic, ecological, social, institutional)
- Balancing economic growth, social wellbeing and ecological integrity
- The growth or degrowth, what is the (blue) economy we need? Exploring growth, degrowth and post-growth in the blue economy.
- Exploring the equitable distribution of benefits and externalities.
- Methodological reflections: the answers we produce are dependent on the methods we choose
Transformations for Ocean Governance:
- Innovations in marine policy, governance, and management.
- Case studies of successful transformations toward sustainability.
- Marine protected areas and OECMs
- Ecosystem based management / Social ecological systems
- Integrating indigenous knowledge and local practices.
- The chicken and the egg: do we need to transform marine governance or will marine governance guide the ocean uses’ transformations?
- Ocean governance transformations through a Commons lens
Contested Knowledge Production for the Ocean Decade
- Whose knowledge counts? Exploring the politics of knowledge in blue spaces.
- Exploring new epistemologies
- Ocean literacy: how to get everyone on board?
- Co-production of knowledge
- Single, inter-, multi-, trans- or un-disciplinary approaches: what do we need and when?
- Feminist and intersectional perspectives

Keynote Speakers

Sarah Coulthard

Dr Sarah Coulthard is a marine social scientist based in Newcastle University UK, with over 20 years of experience in international fisheries research. Her core areas of focus are the connection between natural resources and social wellbeing, the social impacts of marine protected areas, fisheries governance, and supporting social-ecological resilience in marine systems.

In the last few years, Sarah has held various secondment posts in fisheries management within the UK government, which has led to her close involvement in key policy areas including the introduction of Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters and strengthening capacity for fisheries co-management following the UK departure from the European Union, as part of the new Fisheries Act (2020).

Ratana Chuenpagdee

Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee is a University Research Professor in Department of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland, in St. John’s, Canada. She is directing a major global research partnership, Too Big To Ignore (TBTI), which aims at elevating the profile of small-scale fisheries and rectifying their marginalization in national and international policies. As part of this project, she’s coordinating research and activities to promote ‘Blue Justice for Small-Scale Fisheries’, support the implementation of the ‘Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines,’ and build ‘Transdisciplinary Capacity’ for fisheries and ocean sustainability around the world.

Robert Blasiak

Robert Blasiak is an associate professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, where he focuses on the sustainable management of ocean resources, and ocean stewardship. His recent work has dealt with issues surrounding the conservation and equitable use of marine genetic resources. He led the team of scientists working with the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) initiative from 2022-2025, and is currently leading a project on the financial risks of climate impacts on seafood production. He is a member of the Ocean and Climate Platform Scientific Committee, a member of the editorial board of the ICES Journal of Marine Science, and a board member of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA).

Wesley Flannery

Wesley Flannery is Professor of Coastal and Marine Governance at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). He leads the Environmental and Social Governance Research Group in the School of Natural and Built Environment. This group consists of approximately 30 researchers working on a diverse range of governance issues. He holds a visiting position at the University of Galway, Ireland. His primary research interests lie in marine spatial planning and issues of power and participation in marine governance. He is involved in a number of ongoing Horizon Europe projects on these topics, including EmpowerUs, PERMAGOV and MarinePlan.

Carsten Pedersen

Carsten Pedersen is a political activist and researcher at TNI. His work addresses fundamental questions: Who has the rights to territories and resources? Who decides for what purpose these should be used? How does material and social life connect the seas with the land?

His approach values the knowledge of fisher people, emphasizing co-produced knowledge that serves to develop materials and strengthen organizations to become powerful agents of change. He has supported organizations in implementing Blue Economy Tribunals in South and Southeast Asia and Fisher People’s Tribunals in South Africa and Brazil.

Carsten has been involved in numerous UN-level processes since the Global Conference on Small-Scale Fisheries: Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries hosted by the FAO in Bangkok in 2008. Before joining TNI in 2018, he served fisher movements from across the world for almost two decades, primarily based with Masifundise in Cape Town. The fisher movements, particularly the World Forum of Fisher Peoples, remain close allies in his work at TNI.

Conference contributions

The MARE Conference will – as always – take place at the campus of the University of Amsterdam in Amsterdam, with the dinner again taking place at the monumental Dominicus church. It is possible for people who cannot travel to the conference, to observe all conference sessions. However, to present a paper at the MARE conference, the participant must be physically present in Amsterdam.

Next to ideas for papers or posters (max 300 word abstracts), we encourage panel proposals with innovative formats that stimulate interaction and dynamism such as roundtables, workshops, brainstorm sessions, debates, or documentary film screenings with discussion. The submission of pre-arranged panels (max six presenters) are also welcomed. Should you have less than 6 presenters, the conference organizers might find additional presenters from individual paper proposals that fit the panel. For more traditional paper-based panels, we encourage thorough discussion of presented papers, for example by including discussants or by peer reviewing each other’s papers. Please note that sessions will be 1.5 hours long and that participants may submit only one lead-authored paper proposal (although they may initiate or be second author in other kinds of proposals).

Registration

You can register for the conference using this link: https://www.aanmelder.nl/mare2025/subscribe

You can find visa information here: https://www.aanmelder.nl/mare2025/visa-information

Registration deadlines 2025

April 11	Early bird deadline (extended)
May 1	Registration deadline for presenters
June 2	Registration deadline for visiting Policy Day only Registration deadline for attending MARE conference as a non-presenter
June 18	Registration deadline for online only conference access

Conference Fees

Early bird (till April 1, 2025): €530,-
Early bird discounted* (till April 1, 2025): €275,-

Regular: €650,-
(Passive) online participation: €40,-

Policy day: €100,-

* for early-career scholars and scholars from the Global South. Limited availability.

ICES is pleased to offer sponsored registration to early career scientists in the form of a discounted fee. This sponsorship is to support and encourage the next generation of researchers to engage actively in the symposium.

An early career scientist is a person who is studying for their Bachelors, Masters or PhD, or has completed a PhD within the past five years and/or is under 35 years of age. Discounted fees will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.

Please note that the demand for the discounted fee is likely to exceed the available spots. We kindly request those who have the means to cover their expenses through project funds or travel grants to refrain from applying for the discounted fee, in order to make it available for those who truly require it. Your considerate act will be greatly appreciated.

Workshops

Schooling Together: Actors in Aquatic Food Systems

Join us for the MARE 2025 Schooling Together: Actors in Aquatic Food Systems, a one-day masterclass for early career researchers (ECRs) exploring interdisciplinary approaches to aquatic food systems research. Held on June 23, 2025 (at the same time as Policy Day), this masterclass will provide a collaborative space to discuss research strategies, diverse actors in aquatic food systems, and effective networking. Open to late-stage Master’s students, PhD candidates, and postdocs in social and environmental sciences, the masterclass offers valuable peer mentorship and skill-building opportunities. Apply by April 30, 2025. More details and sign-up here.

Flowing with the Tides – Meditative Art Workshop

How can we experience the ocean beyond science? Flowing with the Tides invites participants into a guided movement meditation, embodying a droplet of water carried by the sea. Through sensory exploration and co-creation, we translate this experience into collective art, bridging marine science, intuition, and creativity. No prior experience needed, just an openness to flow. Facilitated by Amsterdam-based artists, Sara Kimura and Vera K.

Date: Friday, 27th of June, 2.00-4.00 p.m.
Location: University of Amsterdam
Limited capacity of 15 people (Free participation for MARE attendees)
Secure your spot here.

Conference Venue

The Conference takes place at the Roeterseiland Campus of the University of Amsterdam.

Address: Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam

Accommodation

Amsterdam celebrates its 750th anniversary in 2025. Therefore it will be busy in Amsterdam and we advise you to quickly book an accommodation. A list with hotels and hostels can be found here.