Over the last thirty years or so considerable effort has been invested in North Atlantic coastal zone and community-sited fisheries social research. Much of this research has been linked with a variety of public policy and management issues. Many management systems have been characterised as insensitive to, if not simply ignorant of, harvester knowledge respecting marine ecosystems as well as harvester local access management and self-regulation practices. In the social-research and some fisheries management literature local-level, community-based, native and commercial harvester self-regulation practices have been characterised variously as 'traditional use rights fisheries (TURFS)', 'customary access rights fisheries (CARS)', 'or customary marine tenure (CMT)'. Regardless of the labels, local-level regulation, access and use practices are generally presented in the social research literature as embodiments of 'traditional knowledge (TK)' with regard to local needs and conditions. TK is often represented as a form of ecological knowledge; that is, knowledge about the marine ecosystem accumulated through years, often generations, of actual 'on-the-water' observation and experiences. Building TK into fisheries management policies and practices is argued by many as a critical element in fostering ecologically sustainable and socio-economically viable commercial, coastal zone fisheries. 

Despite this, it can be argued that most fisheries management systems, such as those operating in North Atlantic Rim nations and settings, have yet to reflect much by way of TK in design, operation and implication. These management systems are presented as necessarily embodying 'modern' management practices, practices designed to respect and further market-driven forces/factors of economic production within the context and processes of 'globalisation'. Fisheries science embodies a system of knowledge that is often assumed to contrast and, in many respects, to conflict with TK. As a 'science', it strives to add to our knowledge of marine life forms and ecosystems through employment of the logical and rational practices ordinarily associated with inquiry, the practices of information gathering through carefully designed studies employing methodologies that allow for testing of results, understandings, and the like. Goverment fisheries scientists, often trained within biology, are also required to conduct assessments of marine resources with a view to providing management with advice respecting the exploitative pressure that may be exerted by either commercial harvesting, recreational or native fishing on any species without exacting much by way of costs for reproductive health, growth or, lately, place within an ecosystem. 

Social research has a potentially important role in sorting through the ecological knowledge attributes and issues associated with TK and fisheries science. Arguably, the present context offers fisheries social research an opportunity to contribute substantially and concretely to developing alternative approaches to fisheries management. Fisheries social research is positioned to develop ways and means of systematically describing negotiating and reconciling TK and fisheries science systems of ecological knowledge, thereby contributing to the development of alternative systems of sustainable fisheries management. 

This Research and Development Initiative seminar is expected to produce concrete recommendations respecting research designs and methodologies best suited to the systematic study of native and commercial marine harvester, fisheries science and social research systems of ecological knowledge. Immediately following the seminar, the recommended research designs and methodologies will be subject to field tests in collaboration with the RDI's harvester, social research and fisheries science partners. 

To view the Research Development Initiative application submitted to SSHRCC click here: Exploring and Reconciling Competing Systems of Ecologically-Framed Knowledge: Lessons from Maritime Canadian and North Atlantic Fisheries. 

'To view the working seminar organisation document click here:

Seminar Organisation and Topic Outline, 2000.

Moray Firth Ecological Knowledge Working Seminar, 2000.

Seminar Organisation and Topic Outline, 1999.