Despite the
increase in the volume of fisheries science output, there are still major
challenges in fisheries management. Sometimes monodisciplinary research
approaches have contributed to highly fragmented management schemes, resulting
in a multitude of unforeseen and unacceptable outcomes, ranging from gross
overfishing and fishing down of marine ecosystems to increased unemployment
rates and fishing rights confrontations.
Because of
this many scientists now agree that fisheries issues should be addressed under
a new conceptual approach. As such, fisheries are now being referred to as
“socio-ecological complex adaptive systems” (SECAS). Such an understanding, and
a thorough understanding of the interdependencies between various system
components (such as fish stocks, gear, and fisher and consumer behaviour), could
give stakeholders the tools to take action in solving problems that compromise
sustainable fisheries.
Besides
requiring the consideration of all aspects of fisheries processes,
understanding fisheries in this way necessitates more cooperation between different
disciplines, and between scientists and stakeholders. Improved science and
management will, in part, mean better understanding human behaviour and linking
the natural system with the social system. In this session the aim is to draw
attention to the importance of achieving better understanding of human
behaviour (including fishers) in science and management. This = is important
as, even though human behaviour has been called the key source of uncertainty
in management, many models of fisher behaviour, for example, continue to work
with basic assumptions such as that of the rational agents acting to maximize
their individual profit. This session is therefore dedicated to contributions
that enable a better understanding of human behavior and eoncourages inter*-
and transdisciplinary** efforts for furthering our understanding of fisheries
as SECAS.
Contributions
related, but not limited to, the following topics are welcome:
- Improved/novel methods to study behaviour of fishers (or any other humans who are part of the fisheries system)
- Projects in which a (better) understanding of fisher/human behaviour is central
- Results of collaborations with stakeholders designed to create viable solutions to their decision support needs
- Best practice for management/decision makers and or scientists working with stakeholders
- Social norms and self-organization of fishers, and their influence on trust, culture, and fisher behaviour
- Understanding how fishers deal with change such as displacement from fishing grounds, gear change, (improved) selectivity (including for the mitigation of vulnerable bycatch), policy change, and climate change
- Simulations of all aspects of fisheries management, but particularly of social science/human dimension aspects, which would particularly benefit from greater quantification
- Examples of methodologies using qualitative data to inform fisheries models
- Public understanding of fisheries and fisheries management
- Challenges and possibilities to adopt a SECAS approach to fisheries in fisheries/marine science and management/governance, requiring explicit consideration of ecological, economic, social and institutional aspects of both assessment and management
- Methods of incorporating and integrating both strategic and operational aspects of ecological, economic, social and institutional objectives within an appropriate framework or governance process
- Innovative ways to explore fisheries and management
Submissions
are welcome from all disciplines or multi-, inter*-, transdisciplinary** combinations
(e.g. fisheries, biology, ecology, and other life sciences, anthropology,
sociology, ethnography, cognitive sciences, social psychology, history,
geography, political sciences, education and learning, humanities, law,
management, economics, including behavioural economics and marketing, food
sciences, medical sciences, computer sciences, data visualization, mathematics,
engineering and technology)
All
contributions should address (if applicable): a) how they understand “human
behaviour” or “fisher behaviour”, b) how they study it (including application
of change management models), c) the questions they have, and (d) limitations
or solutions.
* ‘Interdisciplinary’
refers to studies involving several unrelated academic disciplines (i.e. they
have contrasting research paradigms) in a way that forces them to cross subject
boundaries to create new knowledge and theory.
** ‘Transdisciplinary’
refers to studies that both integrate academic researchers from different
unrelated disciplines and non-academic participants, such as managers or the
public. Transdisciplinarity combines interdisciplinarity with a participatory
approach.
This is a
theme proposed jointly by the SAF21 project – Social science
aspects of fisheries for the 21st Century, ICES Strategic
Initiative on the Human Dimension, ICES - FAO
Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour