In the eye of the observer. Western baltic cod under a transdisciplinary focus

Abstract

The unsustainable exploitation of fish stocks is one of the greatest anthropogenic impacts on oceans and coastal waters worldwide with consequences for the health of marine ecosystems, but also for the livelihoods of fishers and local fishing communities. One of the many reasons for unsustainable use of marine resources is a non-transparent and top-down fisheries management. To address the deficiencies in achieving sustainable fisheries, the European Union increasingly adopts a holistic approach to the management of living marine resources through its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), meaning ecosystem-based management that considers knowledge and social interactions among resource users and interest groups in decision- making processes. Nevertheless, differences in knowledge, but also values, norms and interaction with the system are a reason for different understanding regarding the functioning of a social-ecological system (SES) to which individuals and groups belong and can be a reason for profound conflicts. A very striking example in European fisheries is the management of Western Baltic (WB) cod (Gadus morhua), characterized by several management measures, including total allowable catch and marine protected area designation that met with varying levels of acceptance among the stakeholders involved. This thesis focuses on the WB cod fisheries in general and more explicitly on the resource users and interest groups involved in or affected by its management. Multiple methods were used to uncover the stakeholder network of WB cod fisheries, and to investigate the perceptions of different stakeholders on the system, as well as to explore the diverse knowledges about the system and to formulate ideas for a ‘alternative’ management. We first conducted a literature review with the objective of understanding the term ‘stakeholder’ and ‘participation’ in the context of coastal and marine fisheries (Study I). We found a strong increase in the number of projects in which ‘stakeholder participation’ was addressed. However, the results show that often only the term ‘stakeholder’ and ‘participation’ is used. Who exactly is defined as a stakeholder or what exactly is understood by participation in this context is often not or only very vaguely described. To explore the WB cod fisheries, which has been chosen as a case study for this thesis, in more detail, we conducted an online questionnaire at the beginning aiming for the identification of relevant stakeholders involved in the further studies (Study II, III, IV). We first investigted the perceptions of various stakeholders on the WB cod fisheries system using a participatory modeling approach (Study II). Furthermore, we found that not only the number of components per model differed strongly in some cases (simple vs. complex system understanding), but also the comparison of the number of relevant ecological and social components showed significant differences. In addition, the results indicate that especially the social system components show a high variability in terms of their definitions and measures, which has been used to map the dynamic structure of the system. Expert interviews with representatives from commercial fisheries, angling, nature conservation, industry, tourism, science and administration, further served to describe and analyze WB cod and its underlying fisheries management (Study III). We were able to show a great diversity of knowledge types that form the basis for the description of WB cod, but also the evaluation and criticism of EU fisheries management. Lastly, we conducted a study involving mental models (collected in Study II) and a network analysis approach, based on the assumption that there is a relationship between identity diversity, meaning the range of social characteristics, and variations in the way people perceive and solve problems (Study IV). Our results empirically show that groups with higher identity diversity also exhibit greater cognitive diversity. The Western Baltic cod fishery and its surrounding SES is diverse, partly complex and subject to different perceptions held by user and interest groups. Furthermore, the system is described by a high diversity of knowledge types, which among other things form the basis for describing the system and criticizing the EU fisheries management. Disclosure and recognition of these different system components, their interactions and dynamics, and thus the multiple knowledge types, could enhance transparency and trust among groups involved or affected by management and thus foster the success of different management measures. Therefore, the involvement of user and interest groups is fundamental to support the sustainable use of fish stocks such as the Western Baltic cod. Also, the stronger involvement of different stakeholders and the adoption of a transdisciplinary approach could contribute to safeguarding the fisheries sector, which is rich in culture and tradition.