Sustainable Aquaculture: Controversies and uncertainty in Knowledge-based management

Aquaculture management Norway should be knowledge-based management. While knowledge ? especially science ? is considered key to generate social, economic and environmentally sustainable growth, knowledge is also questioned and can actually create, rather than resolve, conflicts. AquaKnow argues that it is necessary with better insights about the knowledge-based management and how this organizational solution work in practice is perceived by society, can we be able to design a more legitimate governance system in a systematic and targeted manner. Through the lens of knowledge-based management, AquaKnow will investigate how controversies and uncertainties can be dealt with in an effective and legitimate manner, this is important in light of the aim for knowledge-based management and blue growth. The main question is: How can the governance system for aquaculture face the increasing unwillingness of society to accept advisory bodies? advice and ensure effective and legitimate knowledge-based management? This project will analyze the practices of knowledge-based management and examine how key actors manage and perceive controversies and uncertainties. Furthermore, AquaKnow will address both challenges and potentials concerning the legitimacy of aquacultures governance system, and investigate what institutional set-ups could provide socially sustainable solutions. Based on both qualitative and quantitative methods, the project will reveal what practices underpins knowledge-based management and what the perceptions of the society are with regards to knowledge-based management ? and these are linked to controversies and uncertainties. Ethnographic fieldwork including observation and interviews as well as Q-methodology to examine perceptions will be used.