Applying a knowledge-action framework for navigating barriers to incorporating telemetry science into fisheries management and conservation: a qualitative study

Telemetry studies have produced fundamental knowledge on animal biology and ecology that has the potential to improve management of aquatic resources such as fisheries. However, the use and integration of telemetry-derived knowledge into practice remain tenuous, so we surveyed 212 fish telemetry experts to understand existing barriers for incorporating telemetry-derived knowledge into fisheries management practices. We apply a sociological knowledge-action framework to structure the findings, which revealed four primary challenges to integrating telemetry findings into management: (1) the perceived uncertainties and unclear relevance of telemetry findings; (2) the underlying motivations and constrained rationalities of actors that can lead to inaction or suboptimal decisions; (3) the constraints of institutions, governance structures and lack of organizational support, and; (4) time and mismatches in scale, culture and worldviews. On a more positive note, the relational dimension (collaboration, trust, and relationship building) appears to be important for overcoming and avoiding barriers. We further provide recommendations to navigate these perceived barriers, and argue that these lessons also apply to other fields of applied ecology, conservation and resource management.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author