Contributed by GAF 9
5 October 2025 – The 9th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF9), jointly organized by the Gender in Aquaculture Section of the Asian Fisheries Society (GAFS/AFS) and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) from October 1–3, 2025, gathered over 200 participants from 36 countries across six continents, including Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, Oceania and South America, underscoring GAF9’s truly global reach.
Convened under the theme “Transforming Aquaculture and Fisheries for Gender Justice,” the three-day event explored women’s roles in the blue economy, gender and climate change, nature-based solutions, and innovative research frameworks. With over 100 presentations and 12 special sessions, participants exchanged perspectives, built collaborations, and shared transformative ideas for a more inclusive sector.
Dr Thitiporn Laoprasert, Deputy Director General of Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, highlighted the growing leadership of women in rural aquaculture and fisheries and reaffirmed the division’s commitment to strengthening women’s participation.
From Left to Right: Prof. Kyoko Kusakabe, Dr Thitiporn Laoprasert, Prof. Pai-Chi Li, and Dr. Nikita Gopal
AIT President Prof. Pai-Chi Li, welcoming participants, emphasized that “sustainability cannot be achieved without women’s participation, as true sustainability must embrace both the ecosystem and human lives”.
Dr Nikita Gopal, former Chair of GAFS/AFS, while inaugurating the program, noted that earlier GAFS conferences have been crucial determinants in the evolution of today’s gender equity agenda of the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Prof. Kyoko Kusakabe, the current Chair, expressed gratitude to participants and sponsors for supporting GAF9 and making it a huge success.
Each day began with a keynote address setting the tone for dialogue and future research in gender in aquaculture and fisheries. On October 1, Dr Holly Hapke, Director of Research Development, School of Social Sciences, University of California, delivered a keynote on “Advancing Gender Research to Support Gender Justice in Fisheries and Aquaculture.” She emphasized that women’s labor across fisheries remains integral yet undervalued, with research and policy gaps excluding them from the sector’s core frameworks. She urged the recognition of women’s unpaid and informal labor to strengthen both social equity and ecological resilience, highlighting how intersections of class, caste, age, and identity shape opportunities and risks.
On October 2, Angela Lentisco, Fishery and Aquaculture Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN for Asia and the Pacific, presented “Learning to See: Practical integration of Gender in Fisheries.” She highlighted that incorporating gender into fisheries is both a technical matter and a question of justice, and that FAO’s frameworks and gender strategies offer pathways to empower women, enhance project results, and foster inclusive futures in fisheries. Her keynote concluded with a call to action for transforming fisheries into gender-just systems where women are visible and central to sustainability.
On October 3, Ms. Dornnapha Sukkree, Co-founder and Executive Director of MAST Human, spoke on “Justice Beyond the Catch: Technology, Collaboration and Gender Equality in Fisheries.” She discussed technology’s role in addressing gendered vulnerabilities and forced labor in the fisheries industry, where women often face invisibility and exploitation. Emerging digital tools now track not only fish production but also labor conditions to ensure safety, fairness, and justice. She called for continued collaboration and innovation to prevent human trafficking and ensure no one remains invisible in fisheries work.
Among the sub-themes, the sessions “Counting and Discounting: Men’s and Women’s Work in Fisheries and Aquaculture” and “Women/Gender in the Blue Economy” saw the highest participation. Seaweed emerged as a major topic, reflecting the sector’s growing focus on nature-based solutions. Two pre-conference workshops on gender analysis in aquaculture and fisheries research were held the day before and were highly popular among participants.
The event concluded with a valedictory session on October 3, during which Prof. Kusakabe summarized the conference outcomes and presented several awards. She reiterated the importance of embedding gender justice at the core of fisheries and aquaculture transformation. The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Dr. Meryl J. Williams for her exceptional contributions in the field of Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries. The Marilyn Porter Best Presentation Award was presented to Nilanjana Biswas for “Counting the Uncounted: Gendered Labour in the Seafood Industry in Australia’s Northern Territory.” The Meryl J. Williams Best Poster Award went to Sun-Ae Li for “Changing Gender Roles in Diving Fishing: A Case Study of Japan.” The Best Photograph Award was given to Jessie Jr. Varquez for “Arranging Slipmouths on a Drying Rack in Bantayan Island, the Philippines,” depicting the physical challenges women face in post-harvest fisheries under extreme heat.
The conference concluded with a field trip on October 4, where participants visited two sites: a women-led fish processing group and an integrated fish-rice-vegetable-fruit farming system. The visits offered firsthand insights into how local communities generate value through fish-based products while practicing sustainable mixed farming methods.
Through dialogue, research, and real-world learning, GAF9 reaffirmed that sustainability in aquaculture and fisheries requires gender justice, inclusivity, and a recognition of women’s vital roles in the sector.
Edited by Office of Communications and Public Affairs
