Knowledge production at boundaries : an inquiry into collaborations to make management plans for European fisheries

This thesis addresses how knowledge is used and produced in stakeholder-led collaborations to make long-term management plans for European fishery management. Boundary object theory is applied and developed to explain how stakeholders from the fishing industry interact with each other, and with fishery scientists and managers, in initiatives to produce management plans. Using a qualitative case study approach, two initiatives were investigated in-depth: the North Sea Advisory Council’s development of a long-term management plan for North Sea Nephrops fisheries, and the Pelagic Advisory Council’s development of a long-term management plan for a new boarfish fishery in the Northeast Atlantic. A conceptual framework with emphasis on boundary spaces was developed to analyse knowledge exchange and the interaction between actors, objects and activities. The findings point to the importance of entry points for actors to become directly involved in knowledge-production processes. Direct stakeholder engagement in management plan production created a sense of ownership of the problems identified and triggered solution-oriented ways of working. The findings highlight the multiple roles played by fishery scientists in the diverse settings where management plans for European fisheries are produced, and draw attention to the need for clear procedures to ensure that different roles are acted out transparently.