Institutionalizing Collaborative Research in Marine Conservation

Amy Freitag, PhD

The FRG Program

Comparable Other Cases?

Photo courtesy of Teresa Johnson

Water Quality Focus

Methods

Characterizing Collaboration

Bonney et al 2009

Results Authorship  Joint authorship Scientist-

authoredFisher-authored

Academic journal articles (theses)

16 (9) 1

Sea Grant reports, outreach, and talks

9 3 1

Professional talks 3 18 Presentations to policymakers

5 4 1

Informal education and interactions

6 7 4

Learning from Each OtherThings Scientists Learned From Fishers Total = 11

About the fishery/full view of the system 4Feasibility of fieldwork 4Dealing with citizens 2Adaptability and diversity of the fishery 2Empathy 2How to stand up to public officials * 2Human behavior and risk aversion 2New methods for fishing * 1Case-specific information * 1‘Fisher’ is not a single entity 1Why applied research is important 1

Things Fishers Learned From Scientists Total = 10Case-specific information * 4Research methods 3How to stand up to public officials * 3Scientific philosophy (e.g. can’t prove a hypothesis, just disprove it) 2Scientific process 2How to interpret data 1How to use statistics 1Details of water quality 1New methods for fishing * 1What regulators can do 1

Products of the Grants

“any time you get somebody who lives in a watershed and is an integral part of that community, talking to people about what they might do and about the problems, it’s really the only way to very effectively communicate because people know who you are and they trust you”

Purpose of FRG

“it’s supposed to have a payoff for the state investment. I think the program’s been very successful, generally speaking”

Role of the Administration

Creating Boundary Spanners and Broader Scientific Thinkers

“an introduction that led to something else”

Meeting the Promise of Co-Production?

More relevant research design and better system understanding

Better reception of resultsStrengthened connection to co-management

Recommendations

• Conscious social network support• Early stage organization creativity• Creation of boundary-spanners explicitly • Seed grants, leveraged for other support

(should be evaluated)

Thanks to the Sea Grant staff and investigators for their time, Ramus Endowment for funding

Type and form of information?