Towards transdisciplinary decision-support processes in fisheries: experiences and recommendations from a multidisciplinary collective of researchers

Abstract

The shifting policy focus towards Ecosystem Based Management in Fisheries (EBFM) requires the integration of knowledge and disciplines and the engagement of stakeholders to support decision-making processes. Scientists contribute to this through (i) participatory research projects, (ii) stakeholder partnerships and (iii) institutional scientific advice processes. Understanding the role of scientists in such processes, the nature of the interactions between scientists, stakeholders and managers in knowledge integration and the link between science and policy is an emerging field of research addressing transdisciplinary challenges. In 2018, Ifremer-UMR AMURE organized the workshop ‘Science, Partnership and Decision-support in Fisheries’ bringing together international scientists from natural and social sciences to conduct a review based on twenty concrete case studies. Findings indicate that science-stakeholder-manager partnerships for decision-support in fisheries can play an essential role in the transition to EBFM. To foster this transition, eight recommendations are presented that cover the roles of the different participants, the expectations of partnerships, capacity building, the integration of the social sciences, and funding structures. Further, it is recommended that future research and innovation framework programmes into sustainable fisheries and other ocean uses should explicitly include mechanisms to foster transdisciplinary approaches and the development of best practices. Building-up networks and developing reflexive approaches to review experiences and practices for transdisciplinary approaches in EFBM decision-support will contribute to design the next generation transdisciplinary platforms and generating actionable knowledge towards EBFM.

Goals, challenges, and next steps in transdisciplinary fisheries research: perspectives and experiences from early-career researchers

“…Transdisciplinary approaches have spurred the development of new frameworks for managing and studying fisheries, many of which have roots or direct parallels with long-standing approaches to looking after fisheries (e.g., Indigenous fisheries that commonly manage whole systems and are inherently adaptive; Berkes 2018 ). Two of these frameworks, i.e., ecosystem-based fishery management (Macher et al 2021 ) and adaptive co-management (Armitage et al 2010 ; Stöhr et al 2014 ), emphasize the need for integrative approaches that move beyond just biological considerations and consider the social, ecological, economic, and institutional dimensions of fisheries (Turgeon et al 2018 ). Within these frameworks, the roles of scientists have shifted.…”

“…Within these frameworks, the roles of scientists have shifted. Researchers must become fluent in diverse disciplinary ‘languages’ (Andrews et al 2020 ), learn complex communication skills (Macher et al 2021 ), navigate when their voices are critical and when they are not as useful (Chuenpagdee and Jentoft 2019 ), and learn how to respectfully combine and uphold the validity of multiple knowledge types (Steelman et al 2019 ; Reid et al 2020 ; Barnes et al 2021 ). In addition, researchers are taking on new responsibilities at the science-policy-practice interface (Cvitanovic et al 2015 ; Fabian et al 2019 ; Kadykalo et al 2021b ) and must learn how to frame their findings in a way that is relevant to decision-makers.…”

Optimization of Agricultural Fertilization Strategies based on Meteorological and Edaphic parameters: Analysis of Site-Specific Geoinformation to Support Decision Making

“…The multi-contextual view of fertilization problems leads to what is called an approach to "holistic problemsolving". It represents the result of inter-and/or transdisciplinary cooperation of relevant actors [9,10]. "Holistic decision-making" also means to consider as much relevant, and multi-perspective, information as possible during all steps of the decision-making process, aiming at achieving sound decisions.…”

A will-o’-the wisp? On the utility of voluntary contributions of data and knowledge from the fishing industry to marine science

“…It is widely recognized that SIRC can contribute to developing mutual trust (e.g., St. Martin et al, 2007;Holm et al, 2020a;Steins et al, 2020a;Ford and Stewart, 2021;Macher et al, 2021;Köpsel, 2022) and to industry's perceptions about the legitimacy of science (Murray et al, 2008b;Johnson and McCay, 2012;Röckmann et al, 2015;Stephenson et al, 2016;De Boois et al, 2021;Su et al, 2021). Once trust has been established the degree of integration of industry data (Stephenson et al, 2016;Cvitanovic et al, 2021) and unique experiential knowledge (Steins et al, 2020a) may evolve.…”

“…The same thinking applies to the words 'scientists' and 'science' and the groups and phenomena they describe. Our focus on voluntary industry contributions is explicitly directed at regions with well-developed scientific advisory systems because this is where issues about the transition in governance and participatory approaches in fisheries are matters of debate rather than necessity (Stilgoe et al, 2013;Garcıá et al, 2016;Holm et al, 2020b;Linke et al, 2020;Macher et al, 2021).…”