CASTING A WIDER NET: ENGAGING COMMUNITIES TO ENHANCE FISHERIES SCIENCE AND INFORM MANAGEMENT IN ATLANTIC CANADA

Abstract

In many contexts around the world, fisheries management remains a ‘wicked problem’, plagued by complexity in efforts to obtain credible information upon which to make decisions, establish legitimacy in governance processes, and achieve diverse objectives. Understanding how different actors in the fisheries governance process may work together to combine sources of information and bridge knowledge types is foundational to enhancing ‘evidence-based’ decisionmaking toward full-spectrum sustainability. Full-spectrum sustainability

encompasses not only the ecological considerations that form the basis of conventional fisheries assessments, but is more expansive to encompass economic, social, and governance pillars. With a focus on fisheries in Atlantic Canada, the goal of my thesis was to explore approaches to scientific inquiry that result in both a more holistic assessment of the fishery system and more transparency and inclusion in decision-making processes, setting the stage for ‘win-win’ scenarios for both human communities and the natural world in which they are embedded.

I first explored recent Fisheries Act amendments regarding “Decision-making criteria” to assess recent stakeholder and rightsholder contributions to current science-policy and advisory processes at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. In subsequent chapters, I used recreational fishing of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) as a case study for engaging with fishery stakeholders. First, I estimated patterns and volumes of catch using unconventional data sources from the recreational sector to address gaps in understanding for this data-deficient fishery. Next, I characterized the social and cultural dimensions of the fishery by surveying the angling community to describe their demographic characteristics, motivations for recreational mackerel fishing, and perceptions of management. Finally, my exploration of current DFO advising practices, combined with my practical experience learning from fish harvesters, led to the need to craft a potential working definition of ‘community knowledge’ for decision-making, as referenced in the Fisheries Act. A common thread throughout my research is the unrealized (potential) value of community knowledge in fisheries science and management. I describe how engaging with stakeholders and rightsholders need not ‘dilute’ the role of science in decision-making, but can enrich it, partly by forcing us to confront the multifaceted objectives we seek to achieve through fishing.