Knowledge Politics and Knowledge Mobilization in Salmon Fisheries Management: Examining the Intersection of Scientific, Stakeholder, and Management Knowledge in Contested Fraser River Fisheries

Knowledge is a critical resource in fisheries management, but it is also a source of conflict and competition. Rapid environmental changes are spurring calls for better “knowledge mobilization” or the integration of scientific and local/traditional knowledge into management practice. Given the social-ecological complexity of fisheries resources, fisheries managers are increasingly finding themselves playing the role of knowledge “referees”, tasked with interpreting a wide range of often-contradictory claims and assertions advanced by scientists, politicians, industry, stakeholder groups and the public. Our objective is to examine the intersection of knowledge, politics, and decision-making in fisheries management through extensive interviews with fisheries managers, scientists, stakeholder and user groups (recreational and First Nation fishing sectors) of the Fraser River in British Columbia (Canada). Early findings are revealing that new scientific and local/traditional knowledge must pass what we call “social robustness” – which includes consideration of how key interests, institutions, and media might respond to any new practices or actions – before being seriously considered by management. We discuss successful and unsuccessful examples of how long-established institutional boundaries are navigated, and discuss recommendations about effective knowledge mobilization.