Cl. Smith et al., SAILING THE SHOALS OF ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT - THE CASE OF SALMON IN THEPACIFIC-NORTHWEST, Environmental management, 22(5), 1998, pp. 671-681
Emerging ecosystem science builds on adaptive management as an approac
h to dealing with salmon problems in the Pacific Northwest. Adaptive m
anagement brings scientific and democratic processes together. However
. managers, the public, resource users, and scientists differ in their
views on the causes of salmon decline. Managers emphasize habitat los
s and over-harvest as the primary causes; commercial fishers point to
habitat loss, management practices, and predators; and the public give
s greatest weight to water pollution and ocean drift nets. Scientific
stud ies of salmon often produce results that seem contradictory or un
clear to the public. For adaptive management to be effective, scientis
ts' and the public need to better understand one another's perspective
s.