Hybrid governance of aquaculture: Opportunities and challenges

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 201; pp. 138 - 144
• Main Authors: Vince, Joanna, Haward, Marcus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2017
• Subjects: Aquaculture; Aquaculture - standards; Australia; Corporate social responsibility; Fisheries; Humans; Hybrid governance; Public Policy; Safety; Seafood; Social license to operate; Tasmania; Third party accreditation; Corporate social responsibility; Social license to operate; Hybrid governance; Third party accreditation; Aquaculture
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.06.039

The development of third party assessment and certification of fisheries and aquaculture has provided new forms of governance in sectors that were traditionally dominated by state based regulation. Emerging market based approaches are driven by shareholder expectations as well as commitment to corporate social responsibility, whereas community engagement is increasingly centered on the questions of social license to operate. Third party assessment and certification links state, market and community into an interesting and challenging hybrid form of governance. While civil society organizations have long been active in pursuing sustainable and safe seafood production, the development of formal non-state based certification provides both opportunities and challenges, and opens up interesting debates over hybrid forms of governance. This paper explores these developments in coastal marine resources management, focusing on aquaculture and the development and operation of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. It examines the case of salmonid aquaculture in Tasmania, Australia, now Australia's most valuable seafood industry, which remains the focus of considerable community debate over its siting, operation and environmental impact.
•Hybrid governance arrangements are becoming more prevalent in salmonid aquaculture.•Communities have power to grant or withhold social license.•Third party certification schemes have challenged state and market social mechanisms.•Certification, ecolabelling and CSR policies require a community's consent.