Pablo Pita Orduna
- Group:AtlantECO, Cephs and Chefs (2018-2020), Economic valuation of the global market for blue shark products and interdependent policy analysis for sustainable management and trade, Ecoser 2.0, Ecosociedad, ERC - EqualSea, GTPMR, NET - TAG (2019-2021), NET-TAG+, RED COMAR, ZEUS
Pablo Pita Orduna
I have a PhD in in Marine Sciences, Technology and Management from the Campus do Mar and a PhD in Marine Biology and Aquaculture from the University of A Coruña. I am also professional diver and Specialized Technician in Aquaculture. My research focus on the integrated management of coastal socioecological systems, fisheries management, sustainability and conservation of marine biodiversity and other ecosystem services, with focus on stakeholder involvement and development of interfaces between science and policy. Research on coastal fisheries, including recreational, is a central theme of my scientific career.
I am specialist in the use of novel technology for the research of marine populations such as ultrasonic telemetry, remote and manned underwater cameras and ROVs. In addition, I develop and use different methodologies of social work, particularly, anthropological tools for collecting and processing local knowledge of fishers. Furthermore, I am familiar with different economic valuation methods and techniques.
I am currently leading the Working Group (WG) in Marine Recreational Fisheries of Spain, integrated by the main research centers with interest in recreational fisheries of Spain, different public administrations, and main stakeholders. I am also co-chair of the ICES WG on Resilience and Marine Ecosystem Services, and member of the ICES WG on Recreational Fisheries Surveys, and SOCIAL indicators. I am part of the editorial board of the international journals Animal Biotelemetry of BioMed Central, and Frontiers in Marine Science. During my career I have worked as a researcher in the Universities of A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela, in the research Centre of Underwater Research of Santiago de Compostela, as technician in the Aquarium Finisterrae of A Coruña and as an aquaculture technician in an international aquaculture corporation. In addition, I have founded a spin-off of the University of A Coruña developing sustainable and innovative management of natural resources.
Research lines
I have established strong partnerships with leading scientists working in social and natural sciences, and I am currently leading research initiatives on marine recreational fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Services at regional, national, and international levels. My plans are to further develop 3 lines of research:
1) understanding how changes in marine ecosystems affect resilience and sustainability;
2) using socioeconomic techniques to understand the spatial distribution of benefits of Marine Ecosystem Services, and;
3) investigating what are the most suitable and positive practices and governance systems to contribute to the good environmental condition of ecosystems in balance with a profitable exploitation of resources and services.
Publications
My research line is largely based in the use of transdisciplinary approaches in the integrated, adaptive management of natural resources and Marine Ecosystem Services in complex marine Socioecological Systems.
Many of the papers that I have published covered gaps in the basic knowledge of relevant human activities worldwide, from Small-Scale Fisheries especially recreational, to industrial fisheries, including research on cultural Marine Ecosystem Services, and on the potential use of Fishers’ Ecological Knowledge and innovative tools in the management of fish stocks worldwide. I list here some publications to illustrate the connection with the themes.
- In this paper published in Frontiers in Marine Science and entitled: “First assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on global marine recreational fisheries” we identified negative impacts of the pandemic on the blue economy and on fishers’ health and well-being.
- In “Assessing knowledge gaps and management needs to cope with barriers for environmental, economic and social sustainability of marine recreational fisheries: the case of Spain”, also published in Frontiers in Marine Science, we reviewed the state of the knowledge on Marine Recreational Fishing in Spain, and identified key governance challenges.
- In “A matter of scales: Does the management of marine recreational fisheries follow the ecosystem approach to fisheries in Europe?” that was published in Marine Policy we investigated compatibility between the EU management framework on MRF and the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries.
- In “The use of the traditional ecological knowledge of fishermen, cost-effective tools and participatory models in artisanal fisheries: towards the co-management of common octopus in Galicia (NW Spain)”, published in Fisheries Research, we developed an operational framework to integrate Fishers’ Ecological Knowledge, technological tools, and participatory models in fisheries management.
- Our paper “The Use of Recreational Fishers’ Ecological Knowledge to Assess the Conservation Status of Marine Ecosystems”, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, is one of the few studies using recreational Fishers’ Ecological Knowledge to assess the conservation status of marine ecosystems.