HYBRID WORKSHOP
Fighting Discrimination in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains
12 – 13 February 2026 | Redeiras-UVigo, Rúa da Ribeira do Berbés, 11, 36202 Vigo, Pontevedra | Hybrid (In-person + Online)
The BlueRights COST Action, in collaboration with the Universidade de Vigo’s Facultade de Relacións Internacionais, invites you to a two-day hybrid workshop addressing discrimination across the fisheries and aquaculture value chains. The event brings together academics, practitioners, NGOs, and industry voices to examine gender-based discrimination, occupational safety, collective action, LGBT+ inclusion, and access-to-fisheries issues.
Day 1 — 12 February 2026
14:00 – 15:00 | Registration
14:50 – 15:00 | Welcome Address
15:00 – 17:00 | Tackling Structural Sex Discrimination in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains
Coordinator: Sandra Amezaga, Mulleres Salgadas
Speakers:
- Jennifer Gee — FAO Mainstreaming Gender in Fisheries (NFISG) Officer
- Annina Cristina Burgin Piñeiro Oliveira — Professor of Public International Law, Universidade de Vigo
- Artak Mkrtichyan Minasyan — Professor of Public International Law, Universidade da Coruña
- Katherine Arroyo Arce — Directora Ejecutiva, Mar Viva (online)
17:15 – 19:00 | Occupational Safety and Health Policies Targeting Women and Girls in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains
Coordinator: Becca Williams, Director, Seafood and Gender Equity, Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions
Speakers:
- Maja Savic-Bojani — Dean, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology
- Laura Carballo Piñeiro — Professor of Private International Law, Universidade de Vigo
- Marinha Guizán Cascón — Representative GT Conflict and Equity, APOCM
- Lara Graña — Journalist, Faro de Vigo
19:15 – 21:00 | Mobilizing Collective Action for Change: The Power of Associating to Have a Voice in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains
Coordinator: Laura Carballo Piñeiro, Professor of Private International Law, Universidade de Vigo
Speakers:
- Devorah Leyde — Chief Executive, The Seafarers’ Charity
- Jaime Cabeza Pereiro — Professor of Labour Law, Universidade de Vigo
- Luz Baz — ITF Inspector
- Sandra Amezaga — Director, Mulleres Salgadas
- Stephanie Lucas — Network Coordinator, UK Women In Fisheries
Day 2 — 13 February 2026
16:00 – 18:00 | On the Shoulders of Gender Equity Policies: Tackling Discrimination of Vulnerable Groups, in Particular the LGBT+ Community
Coordinator: Gustavo Aguilar, Chair, I Exist Too NGO
Speakers:
- Juan Carlos Jerí Vidal — Coordinator, Programa de Community Coastal Fisheries, Conservation International
- Daniel Smith — Neurodiversity at Sea
- Rogelio Santos — Fisher and Influencer
18:30 – 20:30 | Discrimination in Access to Fisheries: The Case of Palestine and Western Sahara
Coordinator: Laura Carballo Piñeiro, Professor of Private International Law, Universidade de Vigo
Speakers:
- Mutaz M. Qafisheh — Professor of International Law, Hebron University College of Law and Political Science, Palestine
- Xosé Manuel Carril Vázquez — Professor of Labour Law, Universidade da Coruña
Organizers & Partners
Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions · BlueRights · COST (European Cooperation in Science & Technology) · Universidade de Vigo · I Exist Too · The Seafarers’ Charity · Mulleres Salgadas · PaxNatura · Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación