Socio-cultural barriers to applying fishers' knowledge in fisheries management: An evaluation of literature cases

The tenacity of barriers to the application of Fishers' Knowledge in fisheries management has been underestimated and under-examined. This conclusion was the culmination of a research process which examined the lntegration Project as portrayed in the literature, in order to identify, describe, and theorize barriers. I use the term 'lntegration Project' to reflect the need for a critical assessment of how this endeavour has been conceptualized and implemented. In recent decades, there has been increased interest in the integration of Traditional and Local Knowledge into natural resource management, reflecting the need to improve natural resource management (NRM) outcomes. If this endeavour is considered worthwhile, it is important to examine factors interfering with its success. Broadly defined, Traditional and Local Knowledge (of which Fishers' Knowledge is one type) is gained through life experience in a particular place and concerns the relationship of humans with their environment. Using grounded theory to construct categories for analysis, I created an evaluative framework to identify conceptual and operational characteristics of the lntegration F'roject in 32 papers from two conferences. These papers mainly addressed commercial Fishers' Knowledge from 'developed' countries. In order to understand the results of the evaluation, it was necessary to draw upon nested theoretical frameworks which recognize that the lntegration Project is part of a larger 'paradigm shift' occurring within NRM, which in turn reflects societal-level changes in the Dominant Social Paradigm. The research ultimately explored and demonstrated in detail the connection between entrenched beliefs or 'frames' at the societal level; conceptual and operational aspects of fisheries science and management; and beliefs and attitudes of practitioners - all of which can prevent or constrict the application of Fishers' Knowledge to fisheries management. This is an important and unique contribution to theory on knowledge production and to the implementation of the Integration Project. Barriers can only be removed if a fuller picture of the issues and their 'depth and range' is shared by all stakeholders. Toward this end, the evaluative framework can be used in future field work to examine applied approaches arid whether these are consistent with the goals a~nd objectives of management agencies.