FEWER FISH THAN FRUSTRATIONS:
An Analysis of Multiplicity in Knowledge Articulation
Anne-Sofie Christensen
Innovative Fisheries Management -- an Aalborg University Research Centre
asc@ifm.aau.dk
Abstract Fisheries conflicts often occur. This paper explores a conflict between fishers and fisheries managers over a sudden closure of a large part of the North Sea, known as the cod box, during the winter and spring of 2001. What is the basis of such conflicts? Why do they persist? In order to understand fisheries conflicts, the empirical case is presented through the lens of buck-passing (Herzfeld 1993), which, I argue, can be interpreted as rejected knowledge articulations. In this article, I argue that the persistence of conflicts is based on ontological differences between fishers and managers. The conflicts are not simply about different interpretations of one and the same situation; rather, the object of the conflict – fisheries – is multiple. The multiplicity of fisheries is rooted in the different ways in which actors enact fisheries (Mol 2002).
The paper is based on a qualitative analysis of newspapers articles, fieldwork and key-informant interviews.
Last update:
August 28, 2010
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