Actions towards the joint production of knowledge: the risk of salmon aquaculture on American Lobster

Abstract

Joint production of knowledge (JPK) is said to facilitate proactive mitigation of risks in marine resource management. However, lack of consensus on who should be involved, when it is happening and the exact mechanisms of sharing knowledge has precluded the development of an effective implementation framework. Here, we explore one approach to building a post-normal science, one that both includes local ecological knowledge and bridges scientific silos. We first identify several actions of knowledge production and then provide an Atlantic Canadian case study, drawn from an assessment of the impact of aquaculture on American lobster, to illustrate necessary actions on the road to JPK. Key actions include theorizing relationships, agreeing on key concepts, specifying, and interpreting required data, identifying principles and making evaluations. We fill a lacuna in the JPK literature by: first, defining knowledge as the result of a set of actions; second, using knowledge generating actions to explore how different knowledge sets come together to contribute to JPK; and third, identifying how knowledge actions can facilitate or inhibit JPK. We conclude that this list of the essential actions of knowledge production is necessary to the successful development of alternative approaches to risk.

Keywords:

• Joint production of knowledge
• risk assessment
• aquaculture
• lobster fishery
• local ecological knowledge

Acknowledgment

The Ovigerous Female Lobster Abundance Study, as part of the Marine Risk project, is funded under a three-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant 435-2014-0299. We thank Fundy North Fisheries Association and all the participants of the study including the fishermen, natural and social scientists, and students.