Led by Future Oceans Lab researcher Haritz Ayarza as part of the SOST-Erizo project, the tool identifies risks affecting the future of this resource, which is currently in a critical situation
The Marine Research Centre (CIM) at the University of Vigo has joined forces with Galician fishing guilds to develop a digital tool that enhances the sustainability of the sea urchin fishery. The study’s lead author is Haritz Ayarza, a researcher at the Future Oceans Lab of the Marine Research Centre (CIM), who has designed the first comprehensive sustainability index to assess Galicia’s artisanal sea urchin fishery. Developed through a co-creation process involving fishers and fishing guilds, the tool makes it possible to identify ecological, social, economic and governance risks affecting the future of this resource, which is currently facing a critical situation.
The index was developed within the framework of the SOST-Erizo project, promoted through the Redemar programme of the Regional Government of Galicia. The programme encourages collaboration between the fishing sector and Galician research institutions to share knowledge, identify needs and jointly develop solutions to the challenges facing the sector.
The sea urchin fishery is one of the most important fisheries along the Galician coast, but also one of the most vulnerable. As Haritz Ayarza explains, “it is going through a critical period, with clear signs of overexploitation and a high economic dependence on the resource.” For this reason, the CIM researcher (the centre is part of the CIGUS Network) believes that “there was a clear need for specific tools capable of assessing its sustainability in an integrated way. Our goal was to fill this gap, promote new forms of collaboration between fishers, scientists and public authorities, and provide a tool tailored to the Galician context that could support decision-making and anticipate risks.”
The study was co-authored by Elena Ojea, Julia Ameneiro and Juan Bueno-Pardo, from the Future Oceans Lab, together with Iratxe Rubio and Elena Fontán, from Mareira Bizi Sociedade Cooperativa Galega, and Pedro Cuíñas, from the Marine Research Centre (CIMA).
Identifying risks through a co-creation process
The index was developed through a participatory process involving two fishing guilds, one from northern Galicia and one from southern Galicia, across four collaborative workshops. Fishers acted as project partners and actively participated in selecting, defining and validating the 19 indicators that make up the tool.
Throughout the process, the sector contributed its local ecological knowledge, reviewed the initial scientific proposal and helped shape the methodological decisions. Participants also tested the results through an interactive digital application. “Fishers did not simply provide information; they also guided methodological decisions and helped ensure that the index accurately reflected the day-to-day reality of the fishery,” says Haritz Ayarza.
The study shows that the sustainability of the fishery depends on far more than the abundance of sea urchins alone. “Among the main risks identified were a significant decline in the resource, widely perceived across the sector, and the high harvesting pressure driven by commercial demand. We also identified governance weaknesses, particularly regarding participation in decision-making and coordination within the fishing guilds, as well as internal conflicts between stakeholder groups affecting sector cohesion and gender inequalities that reduce the adaptive capacity of women shellfish gatherers,” explains Ayarza.
“One of the most surprising findings was that governance factors explained greater differences between fishing guilds than ecological factors.”
A transferable tool to improve fisheries management
The index provides an integrated assessment of the status of an artisanal fishery and helps prioritise improvement actions. Its digital and participatory design makes it suitable for reviewing management plans, monitoring ecological and socio-economic changes, identifying internal tensions or emerging inequalities, and fostering dialogue between public authorities, the fishing sector and the scientific community. The tool can also be readily adapted to other artisanal fisheries in Galicia and to regions with similar characteristics.
“Beyond the index itself, the participatory process helped foster dialogue, trust and a shared understanding between fishers and managers. This demonstrates that participatory indices can serve not only to produce meaningful assessments but also to strengthen collaboration,” explains Ayarza.
The study also highlights the value of local ecological knowledge and the need for continuous collaborative processes to improve fisheries management.
“Co-creation not only leads to better tools; it also strengthens trust and governance. Long-term engagement, transparency and reciprocity are essential to move towards fairer and more sustainable fisheries management.”
The research also provides important lessons for future sustainable fisheries management initiatives. Specifically, it demonstrates that local ecological knowledge is essential for properly understanding ecosystem functioning and that the active involvement of the fishing sector increases the legitimacy of management tools, making their real-world adoption more likely. Furthermore, collaborative processes help reveal internal inequalities, long-standing tensions and sector needs that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
Ultimately, trust can only be built through sustained engagement, transparency and reciprocity—it cannot be achieved through one-off projects.
The Marine Research Centre (CIM) has been awarded the CIGUS recognition by the Regional Government of Galicia, acknowledging the quality and impact of its research. Its activities are co-funded by the European Union through the ERDF Galicia 2021–2027 Programme.
Source: DUVI
