CINAR Investigator: Kevin St. Martin, Rutgers University

 

The coupling of increased calls for use of social science data with their increased availability indicate that a focus on the potential barriers to the use of social science information might yield fruitful discussions and recommendations for next steps. As such, we convened this workshop in May 2024 to further explore this concept. While this workshop was not formally organized by fisheries science or management bodies, the organizers currently serve in advisory roles on the NEFMC-SSC. Workshop participants included social science experts from the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NEFMC staff, faculty with academic appointments focused on fisheries social science, and others with state and federal fisheries management advisory roles. The workshop focused on the following goals:

1. Develop shared understanding of existing tools and data sets.

2. Explore the range of barriers to use of social science in decision processes.

3. Identify characteristics of barriers and approaches to address them.

• Identify where (at what stage) each barrier exists within the science-to-decision-making process, and the nature of the barrier.
• Brainstorm approaches to address barriers and enhance consideration of social science information in decision-making.

4. Develop initial recommendations for follow-up.

5. Strengthen connections and dialog for future opportunities