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Daniella Salazar Herrera

Department, Institution: Development Studies, SOAS
UBEL Pathway: International Development
Supervisor: Matteo Rizzo (SOAS); Liza Griffin (UCL)
Contact details: 723508@soas.ac.uk
Social Media: Twitter: Danisalazar96
About Me

I am a PhD student in Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. At SOAS, I research informality drivers in small-scale fisheries in Peru, which is also where I am from.

Prior to beginning my doctoral studies, I worked as a Fishery Officer (Social Protection) at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in the Fisheries Division, where I supported the coordination of the “Social Protection for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector” project.  My experience is in the socio-economic development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector through social protection programmes and strengthening rural community organisations.

I also hold an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in Political Science and Human Rights from Trinity College (Hartford, USA).

My Research

My research focuses on understanding the drivers of informality in small-scale fisheries in Peru.

It responds to growing evidence that indicates that informality in small-scale fisheries enables illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fisheries, hinders inclusive productive growth, and heightens fishers’ vulnerability. The evidence thus argues that these conditions ultimately foster precarious, poor and vulnerable livelihoods in the sector, which can also lead to fishers engaging in IUU fishing as a coping mechanism during a crisis, creating a reinforcing cycle between informality, poverty and IUU fishing.

In this context, my PhD research explores the nexus between small-scale fisheries socio-economic dynamics and fisheries management structures and how these shape fishing practices, labour regimes and their interaction with formalisation structures.

More specifically, this research will seek to understand the types of labour regimes in small-scale fisheries; how the interactions between institutions, particularly those embedded in common-property and co-management regimes, property rights and fisheries management, shape SSF’s informality landscape; how the linkages between the formal and informal economies in SSF affect the sector’s informality; and how state policies and programmes influence SSF’s informality landscape.

Impact of My Research

This research will address an empirical gap regarding the socio-economic dynamics and labour regimes in small-scale fisheries. Specifically, it will investigate the relationship between fisheries management and labour markets and how they shape informality and fishing practices, therefore contributing to critical debates on enhancing sustainability along fisheries value chains while enabling socio-economic development.

Furthermore, the findings from this study will have practical applications for SSF formalisation programmes, as a lack of understanding of the root causes of poverty and informality is often one of their key shortcomings, and for SSF’s fisheries management practices, as informality can be a barrier for compliance.