Jessica Blythe, PhD

New JCU-led research warns that the future of Pacific small-fishing communities may be compromised by ambitious marine conservation targets set by the Convention on Biological Diversity. 🐟🐠🎣

Read the full story here 👉📰 bit.ly/4syQLHI

"First-of-its-kind event." Whale shark swims "astounding" 1,200km from Madagascar to Seychelles | Discover Wildlife Gentle giant’s epic journey highlights the need for transboundary conservation strategies, say researchers.

Connecting two nations is a single whale shark, observed to have made the first documented instance of swimming from Madagascar to Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

How high seas protection could empower West Africa A region long characterised as a victim of ocean exploitation is taking a leadership role in a huge emerging conservation effort

dialogue.earth/en/ocean/how...

‘An epidemic of suffering’: Why are conservationists breaking down? In December 2024, Rachel Graham, executive director of the Belize-based marine nonprofit MarAlliance, posted on LinkedIn that she knew “5 wildlife & conservation scientists who have taken their lives ...

Conservationists are struggling, so I wrote this special article about mental health in the sector. Give it a read!

Thank you for the thoughtful dialogue and for reinforcing that public engagement remains central to building an inclusive and resilient future 🐿️

During these challenging times, it's genuinely uplifting to be invited into meaningful public consultation. Creating space for diverse voices isn't just due process - it's walking the walk on sustainability, transparency, and equity 🐦

Thank you Environment and Climate Change Canada for the opportunity to join local leaders and graduate students @brocku.ca in sharing our perspectives on the 2026-2029 Draft Federal Sustainable Development Strategy 🌿

www.canada.ca/en/environme...

“Blythe said [...] the scores themselves are not as important as the dialogue they generate. “The whole goal is to improve practices in the water.”

Thanks to @joachimclaudet.bsky.social David Gill et al.

Ocean Equity Index aims to measure justice at sea Ocean projects and governance systems abound globally— everything from offshore energy to coastal aquaculture and fishing treaties — yet there is no standardized way to measure how equitable they are....

🐳 Equity is often overlooked because it's seen as too complex to engage with – the Ocean Equity Index seeks to address that.

Thank you @mongabay.com for the thoughtful coverage of our new paper: news.mongabay.com/2026/02/ocea...

Finally, we argue “To reduce bias or power imbalances, assessments should ideally be completed by independent third parties, multi-actor focus group discussions, or by those directly affected by the initiative (for example, Indigenous Peoples and local communities)” (p. 126-127).

...we recommend facilitating focus group discussions to explore the underlying reasons for these differences in opinion, generate actionable ideas to address them, and facilitate dialogue between the groups, thereby fostering improved collaboration and ultimately improving equity” (p. 124)

Second, the index is designed to facilitate discussions about diverse views on equity. As we say in the paper “Whenever possible, equity assessments should be completed by different relevant actor groups. If actor groups hold divergent perspectives on equity...

Importantly, the last step “involves identifying actions for improving equity within each criterion in the ‘next steps’ column” (p. 124). The purpose of the index is to identify and implement actions to improve equity, not to focus on a number.

Hi @peterjsjones.bsky.social Thanks for the opportunity to clarify! First, the OEI is so much more than a single number. Our visualization tool deliberately shows all twelve equity criteria to limit the tendency to focus only on the final index number.

Guinea-Bissau’s transitional government bans fish meal production BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau — This small West African nation, whose mangrove-fringed coastal waters and expansive estuaries are important spawning grounds for fish species that migrate along the West…

As neighbors tightened controls, Guinea-Bissau emerged as a regional fish meal hub. Chinese-owned factory vessels began arriving in 2019, and new onshore plants soon followed.

But on Jan. 29, the govt abruptly banned fish meal production, citing threats to marine ecosystems and food security.

Displaced for conservation, South Africa’s Thonga try to keep fishing traditions alive KOSI BAY, South Africa — “There’s a way to hold the spear,” Fano Tembe says, aiming a traditional fishing spear at the sand to show the tourists how they’ll be stabbing a fish in a trap they’re about…

A Thonga community in South Africa is striving to preserve a centuries-old, low-impact fishing tradition despite losing access to ancestral waters to a new park.

Park officials say communities are included in planning, claiming tourism to be the most viable development boost for the area.

Preparing fisheries professionals to work with and for Indigenous fisheries agencies and organizations ABSTRACT. Treating Indigenous Peoples as equal participants in decision making requires that groups be prepared to work together in mutually respectful way

🎣 Important new paper by Hannah Postma et al.! "Preparing fisheries professionals to work with and for Indigenous fisheries agencies and organizations" ✨

academic.oup.com/fisheries/ad...

The Ocean Equity Index - Nature The Ocean Equity Index provides a systematic, twelve-criteria framework to assess and improve equity in ocean initiatives, projects and policies, producing structured data that guide evidence-bas...

What is the Ocean Equity Index?

The first tool to measure fairness of ocean projects, policies and governance processes, identifying and improving equity gaps and supporting better decision-making and accountability.

Learn more ↩️
@jessicablythe.bsky.social @joachimclaudet.bsky.social

Abandoned tuna-fishing devices pollute the Galápagos Marine Reserve SANTA CRUZ, GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador — “Good morning,” Walter Borbor, a social media-famous fisher, says to his followers in a 2022 Instagram video. “What we have here is a plantado.” He points to…

Lost fish aggregating devices threaten the Galápagos Marine Reserve, where drifting plastic can damage reefs and entangle wildlife.

In Ecuador, agencies are working to keep FADs out — and remove those that slip in.

SAGE Journal Selector: journal-recommender.sagepub.com

Springer Journal Suggester: link.springer.com/journals

Taylor & Francis Journal Suggested: authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-y...

Wiley Journal Finder: www.wiley.com/en-ie/journa...

I cannot believe I've survived this long in academia without knowing about journal finders!! Thank you Daniel Henstra for bringing me up to speed!! 💡

📚 Here are five journal finders to help you choose where to submit your research:

Elsevier Journal Finder: journalfinder.elsevier.com

Reimagining coral reef futures - npj Ocean Sustainability npj Ocean Sustainability - Reimagining coral reef futures

New Paper ❗️
🪸Reimagining #CoralReef futures

Where we develop aspirational visions for coral reefs towards a #SafeAndJust space
👇🏽
doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00179-6
With @joachimclaudet.bsky.social @jessicablythe.bsky.social @vbrn.bsky.social et al @sthlmresilience.bsky.social

LISTEN: Coral reefs face unprecedented pressures. But scientists are finding some are more resilient than others.

On a new #WCSWildAudio with WCS’s Dr. Emily Darling, a strategy to shape the future of coral conservation worldwide.

🌎 apple.co/45Gk8yR

Title, authors’ names, and abstract from a paper describing an ocean equity index published in Nature

Ocean #inequity is growing rapidly & the burdens (eg, pollution, toxic waste) are borne by the most vulnerable. @jessicablythe.bsky.social et al. created an ocean equity index to assess equity across sectors & scales to generate data to support #evidence-based decision-making doi.org/10.1038/s415...

💙So excited for this epic project with @joachimclaudet.bsky.social @sebasvillasante.bsky.social and the e rest of the team @inspiriprojecteu.bsky.social
🌊Watch this space over the next 3 years 💪🏾

INSPIRI Project Launch Video YouTube video by INSPIRI PROJECT_ EU

🌊 How do we imagine the future of European oceans and waters? We proudly introduce INSPIRI – an EU funded Horizon Europe project dedicated to co-designing actionable visions for a restored ocean and water system in the EU by 2030 and 2050.

Watch our launch video below to learn more!

Ocean Equity Index: Measuring Equity in Ocean Governance Explore the Ocean Equity Index, a practical tool for assessing equity, inclusion and social impact in ocean initiatives around the world.

Published in Nature today: the Ocean Equity Index (OEI), the first global tool to measure fairness in ocean policies and projects. OEI turns equity from an abstract goal into a measurable standard for ocean decision-making.
The OEI is free and easy to use: oceanequityindex.org

World Bank carbon program risks further infringing upon rights of Indonesian Indigenous community (commentary) In the upper reaches of the Mahakam River, inside one of the last intact rainforest corridors of Borneo, the Dayak Bahau community of Long Isun has been fighting a long, layered battle for justice.…

[COMMENTARY]

An Indigenous community in Indonesian Borneo says a World Bank–backed carbon project risks advancing on land where customary rights remain unresolved.

A new op-ed argues land disputes should be settled before carbon offsets move forward.

** Views are author's.

Congratulations, @uvicenvi.bsky.social Natalie Ban and co-authors on this first global tool to measure fairness in ocean policies and projects. #oceans #oceanequityindex #uvic

And to our funders @frbiodiv.bsky.social 🐳