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Brooke E. Penaluna, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Paci c Northwest Research Station, 3200 SW Je erson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331. E-mail: [email protected] Ivan
Aaron Adams, Bone sh and Tarpon Trust and Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. E-mail: aaron@bone shtarpontrust.org A dart-tagged Bonefish ready for release in
Scott A. Bonar, AFS Second Vice President, E-mail: [email protected] Jesse Trushenski, AFS First Vice President, Eagle Fish Health Laboratory, Idaho Department of Fish and Game,
Andrew K. Carlson, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 115 Manly Miles Building, 1405 South Harrison Road,
Joe Margraf, AFS President. E-mail: [email protected] Wow! Talk about a fast year. I cannot believe that this is my last column. Maybe you think, is
COLUMNS President’s Commentary Do We Advocate? Communications The King of Fish “Book Drop”: Generating Conversation and Shared Values about Salmon in Alaska Perspective Science and Advocacy
The collaborative approach to natural resource management
has developed to include the needs, opinions, and perceptions of
a variety of people representing science, along with those representing
social or economic perspectives and often involving our
political system.
Effective advocacy is rarely the stuff of bumper stickers and bullhorns. People are more willing to consider new perspectives when they’re not force-fed; persuasion is most enduring when people are empowered to make their own conclusions. Fisheries advocates who face the task of building consensus around controversial issues should consider tools that help create community discussion where shared values can emerge. Youth education, art, and cuisine are examples of tools that can help us play the “long game” in advocacy. One group in Alaska recently experimented with a another tool, the “Book Drop,” where many copies of a thought-provoking book were freely distributed in hopes of sparking discussion about one of Alaska’s most unifying and divisive topics: salmon.
According to Wikipedia (2017), “advocacy is an activity by an individual or group which aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organization undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research or conducting exit poll or the filing of an amicus brief.” This definition is similar to that found in other, more traditional media. I like it because it captures a
more modern, popular view of the activity without being overly constraining. So, does AFS indulge in advocacy? Some would say no we do not; others, yes but not enough; and still others, yes way too much. Which is correct?
We discuss the need for the American Fisheries Society (AFS) to be involved in advocacy efforts. In doing so, we summarize our history, offer examples of past endeavors, capture the challenges of representing the views of a complex membership, and explain the opportunities awaiting AFS and its members. Our conclusion is that the Society must become more active in advocacy efforts as it seeks to make best use of its members’ knowledge and experience, their ability to inform others about fisheries science and management, and our collective ability to influence outcomes relevant to fish and fisheries.
