The GAP2 Round-up for Researchers 

GAP2 is an international, European Commission funded research project investigating the value of participatory research in fisheries management. Here, we present key results from the project, for use by all researchers interested in trying this approach, whatever the context.

About GAP2

GAP2 has been about bringing together scientists, fishers and policy-makers to develop effective participatory research processes, and fisheries management outcomes in which all parties feel they have a ‘stake’. This approach has been put to the test in a range of fisheries contexts across Europe.

Whilst GAP2 itself won’t be around beyond the 31^st March 2015, we sincerely hope that the experiences of the project will continue to feed into excellent participatory research across Europe for years to come.

Take-away information & research aids 

• Our ‘Good Practice Guide’ to participatory research brings together knowledge from 13 research case studies in 11 countries, and offers advice from the forefront of participatory processes in fisheries science. Learn from first-hand experiences and find out the key ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ when involving all parties from research design to data collection, to the dissemination of results. Click here.

• The ‘Methodological Toolbox’ outlines the methods you will need to conduct good-practice participatory research. This comprehensive set of tools guides users through participatory methods in digestible, bite-sized chunks. Suitable for researchers at any stage in their career. Click here.

• 13 Case study summary documents describe each individual research case study in detail, highlighting aims, processes and key impacts. Click here.

• The GAP2 infographic breaks down all the research activities of the project into headlines – get the key facts and figures about the project in an instant. Click here.

• Participatory research interviews – to hear what fishers, scientists, and policy officials think of participatory research, check out these professionally filmed interviews, discussing the benefits and challenges of collaborative methods. Click here.

• Scientific papers – an inventory of all the research papers produced by GAP2 partners. Click here.

• The ‘deliverables’ – the project’s formal reports to the European Commission are publicly available online. Dig in to detailed analysis of the participatory research process and its applications in Europe and beyond. Click here.

If you have any further questions about the project, or are interested in finding our more about participatory research in general, please get in touch with GAP2 Coordinator, Dr Steven Mackinson: steve.mackinson@cefas.co.uk

GAP2 is just one of many participatory projects carried out across Europe, and the wider world. To see a list of other projects in the same field, click here.

Until next time,

The GAP2 Team