Transforming Ocean Governance 

Research Symposium

By Evan Andrews

On September 12, 2024, over 60 people from academia in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Canadian federal government gathered in person and virtually to discuss the role of social sciences and humanities (SSH) in ocean policymaking. The hybrid event was co-hosted by Ocean Frontier Institute Module I ‘Informing Governance Responses in a Changing Ocean’ (OFI I) and Moving Together for Marine Conservation (MTC) with support from TBTI Canada. Researchers came from Memorial University’s St. John’s and Grenfell Campuses. Federal government staff joined from Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Newfoundland & Labrador and Maritimes regions and National Headquarters, as well as Parks Canada. Together, these participants explored the challenges, prospects, and next steps for positioning SSH in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The event included four sessions, starting with presentations on SSH research examples, demonstrating diverse SSH contributions and approaches. The second session focused on governmental perspectives that introduced efforts to engage with non-ecological dimensions of fisheries and oceans and SSH topics. The third session synthesized previous conversations, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for SSH in policy making. The fourth session considered gaps and prospects for future partnerships and networks, including ways forward to advance collaboration for SSH in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science.

The symposium emphasized the importance of SSH in decision and policy making for fisheries and oceans, while indicating diverse avenues for moving collaborations forward. Participants talked about challenges and prospect for developing, communicating, and using SSH for policy and governance. These spanned individual, institutional, and societal factors, informing next steps for dialogue, research, and collaboration. The symposium enriched a conversation about the value and meanings of SSH, especially in terms of mobilizing diverse perspectives into decision and policy processes where there are obligations for non-ecological dimensions. For instance, it drew attention to the needs and interests in government and in academia for SSH to contribute to holistic management and governance, especially in the context of fisheries, a just and sustainable Blue Economy, inclusive marine conservation, and climate change adaptation. Ultimately, the conversation fostered ideas about next steps for transformative pathways that can bridge SSH, policy, and governance for the future of oceans. Thus, the symposium advanced possibilities and pragmatic prospects for SSH as common interest in ocean policy and governance.

Highlights and Key Takeaways

The symposium included rich conversation, drawing on diverse examples, perspectives, and ideas, demonstrated in Figure 1. Conversation emphasizes how to mobilize SSH now, and what resources, relationships, and capacities are needed for the future. Overall, the symposium resulted in some cross-cutting takeaways.

Fig. 1 Word Cloud from Transforming Ocean Governance Symposium

Research values SSH

Participants highlighted the value and meaningfulness of SSH as a research contribution. Through its principles, theories, and approaches, SSH can amplify diverse perspectives of ocean users, leaders, and actors, and advance meaningful collaboration. Thus, SSH can be leveraged to promote justice, equity, and sustainability, as demonstrated by research on Atlantic coastal and ocean governance. It does this through a diverse research effort, with many routes to help share and unpack the stories, experiences, and understandings of life on coasts and work on the water, as well as the decision making, policy making, and governance that shapes them.

Policy values SSH

Participants also highlight interest, need, and potential for SSH in practice of decision making, policy making, and governance, even though there are challenges mobilizing SSH into these venues. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Parks Canada are making strides in outreach, engagement, and capacity building, including SSH topics and approaches. Examples included well-being considerations in Parks Canada, people’s engaging SSH in strategizing for sustainable development, including people and behavior in climate change adaptation, and thinking about diverse objectives in ecosystem-based management. Governmental staff shared about how important non-ecological dimensions were for those and others areas, and of an emerging understanding of the regulatory and policy bases for non-ecological dimensions.

There is a common interest

Common ground was identified upon which collaborations can grow, including working together for Canada’s commitments to just and sustainable oceans. These include a future Blue Economy, Canada’s Marine Conservation Targets, Climate Change Adaptation, as well as the broader effort for Truth and Reconciliation. Areas of common interest were also revealed through a lively discussion about the future of fisheries and fishing communities, including challenges and opportunities in governance.

SSH can amplify missing voices

Finding ways to include diverse voices in ocean governance was another common interest, tied to multiple sources of value for SSH. For example, participants highlighted the need to engage broadly. This includes finding ways to involve Indigenous peoples, fishing communities, and youth more meaningfully in research, policy, and decision making. The discussion linked these needs to what SSH can do. Examples were shared about the creative and credible approaches and methods to facilitate learning and collaboration in support of environmental, cultural, economic, and social empowerment and contribution from under-represented groups.

There is a need for deep and actionable SSH

Examples and discussions highlighted that SSH may be more or less designed for actionability and for exploring important issues at various depths of understanding. While actionable recommendations are required to effectively translate insights and data into policy and decision making, a depth of understanding may be needed to unpack some situations that are multi-dimensional and complex. Meanwhile, SSH can sometimes be seemingly difficult to package in ways that can be used by decision making, since it is contexted and about issues that are contested. Recommendations and innovations emerged from the symposium to support SSH mobilization related to briefs, memos, databases, platforms, as well as interactive and networked approaches for ongoing collaboration and partnership.

SSH can help work through gaps and contradictions

Discussion emphasized gaps and contradictions that require collaboration for SSH. These were evident between policy goals and the local events, and between scales and approaches in management and local challenges and ocean uses. There was also contradiction identified between urgent need for progress in many strategic areas and the slower efforts needed to understand and encourage transformative change. Working together on advancing SSH can uncover opportunities, narrow gaps and resolve contradictions, while promoting the building blocks for systemic transformation. To enable this prospect, ongoing dialogue is needed between researchers and governmental staff, as well as others, to build bridges between community realities, research, policy, and decision making.

There is momentum and energy to continue

Throughout the day, many expressed interests to continue the conversation, indicating there is a momentum and energy for moving this forward. There were also good suggestions about how to do this, such as through facilitating and building networks and fostering collaboration across sectors, knowledge areas, and scales. The main thrust of these efforts is about working together for holistic, effective, and just ocean management and governance, and positioning SSH in Atlantic Canada as a leading force in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.