Conference on User Knowledge and Scientific Knowledge in Management Decision-Making Reykjavík, Iceland 4 – 7 January 2003 Conference Proceedings Edited by Grete K. Hovelsrud and Charlotte Winsnes The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission 2006 The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission 2006 ISBN: 82-91578-17-6 Layout: Audun Igesund Printed by: GrafiskNord Cover photo: Grete K. Hovelsrud PREFACE NAMMCO - the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission - is an international body for cooperation on conservation, management and study of marine mammals in the North Atlantic. The NAMMCO Agreement focuses on contemporary approaches to the study of the marine ecosystem as a whole, and to understanding better the role of marine mammals in this system. Through regional cooperation, the member countries of NAMMCO aim to strengthen and further develop effective conservation and man- agement measures for marine mammals. Such measures are based on the best available scientific evidence, and taking into account both the complexity and vulnerability of the marine ecosystem, and the rights and needs of coastal communities to make a sustainable living from what the sea can provide. In January 2003, NAMMCO convened the conference on “User Knowledge and Scien- tific Knowledge in Management Decision-Making”. More than 120 participants from eleven countries participated, among them hunters, fishermen, scientists, and resource managers. The aim of the conference was to find ways to incorporate user knowledge into the management decision-making process in parallel with science. The background for the conference was the apparent differences of opinion between the users (whalers, sealers and fishermen) on the one hand, and scientists on the other with respect to the informa- tion and data that are the basis for resource management such as the actual numbers of animals found in an area, their migratory routes, feeding habits and biology. The Conference was sponsored financially by NAMMCO with basic funding from the member countries the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. Financial sponsor- ship was also provided by the Nordic Council of Ministers, Indigenous Survival Interna- tional – Greenland, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Faroese Ministry of Fisheries. Generous in-kind support was received from the Ministry of Fisheries in Iceland and the Institute of Marine Research in Iceland. It is a pleasure - after all this time be able to present this publication. Grete K. Hovelsrud Charlotte Winsnes PREFACE INTRODUCTION WELCOME KEYNOTE ADRESS CHAPTER 1 Resource management: an overview The use of science as decision premise in international resource– and environmental management: some lessons learned Steinar Andresen ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 The structure of resource management in the Faroe Islands Kaj P. Mortensen................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 An overview of resource management from a Norwegian perspective Halvard P. Johansen .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Resource management in Iceland and internationally Stefán Ásmundsson ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 22 Resource management from a user organisation perspective Jens Danielsen ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 2 User knowledge The role of user knowledge in co-management: the example of the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee Henry P. Huntington ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 Lessons learned from a community and ecosystem-based user knowledge study Lucassie Arragutainaq .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Projects using user knowledge in management Charlie Johnson .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Experiences in co-management from the Alaska Native Harbour Seal Commission Monica Riedel ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Traditional knowledge of Chukotka indigenous peoples and modern science: providing mutual reinforcement Vladimir Yetylin .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Inuit knowledge in Nunavut Meeka Mike ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 User knowledge and the Joint Secretariat, fisheries joint management - Inuvialuit Renewable Resources Committee, Northwest Territories Max Kotokak Sr..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 User knowledge in Greenland Kalle Mølgaard ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35 Whaling and fishing: experiences from Norwegian waters Nils Jørgen Nilsen ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 36 Hunting activities in the Faroe Islands: how user knowledge is gathered, kept and transmitted among pilot whale hunters in the Faroe Islands Jústines Olsen ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 3 Scientific knowledge Scientific knowledge – its strength and limitations Lars Walløe ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44 Estimating abundance of seals in the North Atlantic: designing and conducting a scientific assessment Garry Stenson ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 4 User knowledge and scientific knowledge Incorporation of user knowledge into the management of cetaceans: experience from the AWMP of the IWC Greg Donovan ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 53 Utilisation of user knowledge in connection with development and implementation of hunting gear Egil Ole Øen .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and scientific knowledge in decision-making Olayuk Akesuk ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Scientific use of user’s knowledge in Faroese pilot whaling Dorete Bloch ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 64 The dialogue between scientists and resource users: is it necessary for success? Jóhann Sigurjónsson ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 66 The role of scientific knowledge among hunters in Greenland Kalle Mølgaard ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER 5 Management decision-making process Different ways of knowing in fisheries: problems and possibilities Kjellrun Hiis Hauge, .............................................................................................................................................................................................