A social license to operate for aquaculture: Reflections from Tasmania

Understanding societal approval of the fishing industry and the influence of third‐party sustainability certification

“…The facilitation of government support and approval of the fishing industry through third‐party certification is consistent with previous studies that have examined the political benefits (and challenges) of MSC certification for WA fisheries (Alexander & Abernethy, 2019; Bellchambers, Phillips, et al., 2016). While this result may partly be a product of the certification scheme being initiated by the WA government, it is also consistent with a broader trend among governments in developed nations globally (Karavias, 2018).…”

“…While the WA third‐party certification initiative aimed to improve public perceptions of fisheries sustainability (Bellchambers, Phillips, et al., 2016), certification can also act as a form of environmental policy (Dosi & Moretto, 2005) that is perceived by some to compliment (Lester et al., 2013) and by others to diminish (Jacquet et al., 2010) policies focused on conservation of marine life. Given government investment in certification coincided with broad‐scale implementation of Marine Protected Areas around Australia (Edgar et al., 2018; Kearney et al., 2012), it is also plausible that it may have assisted with a broader political strategy to manage conflicting views and interests in marine resource use and management (Alexander & Abernethy, 2019).…”

Social sustainability in seafood systems: a rapid review

“…Alternatively, aquaculture is frequently lauded for its job creation opportunities (e.g. Pierce and Robinson, 2013;Aarstad et al, 2023), however whether this happens at the level industry proposes is debated (Alexander, 2022). Livelihoods are frequently discussed in an artisanal fisheries or local community context against a background of change and increasing vulnerability and the need for communities to diversify and local people to secure jobs (Gilek et al, 2021).…”

“…The seafood sector has been found to contribute to community spirit and pride (Pierce and Robinson, 2013;Reed et al, 2013), and to connection to place (Jacobsen and Delaney, 2014;Ignatius et al, 2019;Lin and Bestor, 2020). Other aspects of cultural capital which contribute to social sustainability include food provision (Crona et al, 2015;Hornborg et al, 2019;Pereira et al, 2021), amenity value (Lin and Bestor, 2020;Alexander, 2022), local and traditional knowledge (Franco-Meléndez et al, 2021) and spiritualism (Ignatius et al, 2019;Wallner-Hahn et al, 2022).…”

“…Scholars have noted that choices made around livelihood are rooted in social relationships and community (Donkersloot et al, 2020). In particular, the building of relationships has been identified as a key component of developing a social licence to operate for the seafood sector (Fleming et al, 2020;Billing et al, 2021;Alexander, 2022). A key focus of this area has been around social peace and conflictoften caused by marine stakeholders/users (Glaser and Diele, 2004;Papageorgiou et al, 2021;von Thenen et al, 2021).…”