Katherine Watson Email & Phone Number

I'm Katherine, a PhD researcher at Swansea University. My doctoral project examines small-scale fisheries and seafood culture in South Wales (UK) through its history, the contemporary landscapes, and stories of those working in these industries.At its core, my research is the culmination and driver of my day-to-day attempts to live more responsibly and intentionally on a damaged planet. This project deploys fishing and seafood as a springboard to apprehend the value systems that shape our consumption of food and culture. It gathers a diverse range of sources to capture changes in the consumption of seafood in South West Wales from 1850 to 2022 and associated economic and labour transformations. Fundamentally, this project gives voice to those negotiating challenges in the fishing industry, the decline of local seafood businesses and the ‘high street’, and the gentrification of Welsh coastal towns. However, perhaps most importantly, I hope that it inspires at least one person to introduce more intentionality into their weekly food shop or educate themselves on the implications of and precedent for their daily choices, across time and space. I hold a first-class BA in Anthropology and Archaeology (2021) and an MA in Archaeology with distinction (2022) from Durham University. My master’s thesis explored how heritage-led regeneration has mediated the reconfiguration of North Shields Fish Quay, a fishing port in North-East England. This propelled my ongoing efforts to understand the experiences of coastal communities amid the decline of the fishing industry, deindustrialization, and the transition to service-based economies.