Congratulating Ruyel for successful completion of Master of Arts in Geography

Ruyel Miah has successfully completed his Master of Arts in Geography from Memorial University of Newfoundland. His thesis research entitled “Access to markets for small-scale fisheries: challenges and opportunities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic”, was funded by Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) Module-I, and completed under the supervision of Module-I lead Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee, and supervisory committee members Dr. Gabriela Sabau, OFI Sub-Module I-1 (i.e., Access to Markets and Resources) and Dr. Mohammad Mahmudul Islam, former OFI Postdoctoral fellow.

As part of OFI Sub-Module I-1, Ruyel’s research focused on access to markets for small-scale fisheries. He was particularly interested in how the COVID-19 pandemic affected market access and enhanced vulnerabilities in small-scale fisheries around the world. Leveraging his previous research experience, Ruyel conducted a case study on the small-scale mud crab (Scylla serrata) fishery in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, one of the most important fisheries in the country. He also performed a global scan on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small-scale fisheries and their access to markets.

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh. ©Ruyel, 2019

Ruyel’s study reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the supply chains of fish and fisheries products worldwide, with serious consequences for small-scale fishers’ livelihoods. The empirical findings of his study show that local traders or depo owners are the main actors governing both the domestic and the export mud crab supply chains. Meanwhile, fishers are invisible due to weak market arrangements and the absence of government policy to support them. He suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for countries around the world, especially for developing countries like Bangladesh, to build back the market structure better and stronger by addressing pre-pandemic distortions made by powerful players in the supply chains

Currently, Ruyel is pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sustainability Management at the University of Waterloo, Canada, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Prateep Nayak and Professor Dr. Simron Singh. Part of his Ph.D. funding comes from the “Vulnerability to Viability (V2V)” project, led by Prof. Dr. Prateep Nayak. Ruyel’s research with V2V aims to examine the governance of small-scale fisheries and their interconnection to vulnerability and viability, expanding on his Master’s research with OFI-I. His research interests include small-scale fisheries governance, markets access and value chain in fisheries, vulnerability and viability of small-scale fisheries, and conservation and sustainability of marine fisheries resources.

Contact information

Md. Ruyel Miah

Ph.D. Candidate in Sustainability Management

School of Environment, Enterprise and Development

Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Canada

E-Mail: mrmiah@uwaterloo.ca

Linked-In: www.linkedin.com/in/mruyelmiah