Vanessa Jaiteh
Dr. Vanessa Jaiteh is a transdisciplinary marine social scientist specialising in tropical fisheries governance, fishing livelihoods, working conditions at sea, and endangered species conservation. Her research bridges the social and natural sciences through extended fieldwork in West Africa, Oceania, Micronesia, and Southeast Asia, and sustained engagement with fishing communities, governments, and international organisations. Her SNSF Starting Grant project SIRENA (2026–2032) examines how EU regulatory frameworks and international labour standards shape formalisation in three West African fisheries. Prior to joining the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern, her research focused on data-limited fisheries, particularly for elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), and on developing policy-relevant contributions to fisheries management and governance, including bycatch reduction, social and ecological risks in seafood value chains, and decent work in fishing.
Country/Region of interest/research focus: West Africa (Senegal, Gambia, Ghana); Indonesia; Micronesia; Australia