Informational exchanges among Hawaii marine stakeholders

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2008.Data was gathered by using semi-structured interviews, attending meetings and analyzing documents and other artifacts. The analysis was informed by the Social Actor Model of Lamb and Kling (2003), the Actor-Network Model developed by Latour (2005) and Callon (1986) and, to a lesser extent, the Social Movement literature (McAdam, McCarthy & Zald, 1996). Based on the evidence gathered, this study advances the concept of the emerging Hawaii Marine Stakeholder, and offers a description of how marine resource management has accommodated stakeholders. SAM was used to understand the actor, ANT to explain the network, and SM to analyze large-scale changes and mobilizations. The results offer practical implications for the development and implementation of co-management arrangements. Theoretical implications include the analytical integration of diverse approaches to understanding social action situated in the context of environmental management.The management of marine resources is undergoing a paradigm shift, away from top-down governance by a central power interacting with an stable, limited and relatively homogeneous and isolated set of ocean users, to a field populated by dynamic, abundant, networked and heterogeneous stakeholder groups. These marine stakeholders are playing an increasingly active role in the management and regulation of the ocean resources. This shift has been partly assisted by the increased availability of information about marine resources and by the new communication and information technologies. Together, these developments allow users to become active players, giving rise to a new trend in co-management of marine resources. This research presents evidence that the term of "ocean user" is conceptually limiting and no longer viable to describe ocean stakeholders' ability to participate in co-management arrangements.This study employed a qualitative approach across three research sites in Hawaii (Waianae, Hanauma Bay, and West Hawaii) to understand the dynamics of selected marine stakeholders' gathering and use of information, formation of groups and alliances, framing of issues, and affecting regulatory changes. The West Hawaii case study, via the West Hawaii Fisheries Council, yielded the richest data for the research. The Council exemplifies a successful integration of the local community in the management of local marine resources.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 296-307).Also available by subscription via World Wide Web307 leaves, bound 29 c