Project dates: 2010 – 2017

A key goal of practical research is the uptake of new information by end-users. This project investigated stakeholder perceptions of biotelemetry, a disruptive new technology, and the uptake of information from biotelemetry studies for use in management and decision-making. 

The Ocean Tracking Network’s (OTN) social scientists interviewed 110 individuals involved in the decision-making process (fisheries managers, senior bureaucrats, and stakeholders involved in co-management arrangements) in the lower Fraser River, British Columbia—the site of several OTN Pacific salmon studies. Findings suggested these groups had different expectations of scientific knowledge and its potential uses. Managers focused on the immediate utility of the data to solve known problems, while stakeholders tended to see scientific knowledge as part of larger conversations about best practices. Respondents were supportive of researchers’ generation of original telemetry data. However, they were concerned about the relatively short battery life of tags, which limits the duration of studies, and the time it took to retrieve data from receivers. 

These findings were shared with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Pacific region) and helped to refine the decision-making process for the Fraser River fisheries. 

The OTN social science component also investigated other aspects of knowledge mobilization and transfer, including factors and processes driving data sharing in the global telemetry community. More broadly, the pros and cons of science communication among different stakeholders and the public were explored. This included investigating the exploitation of telemetry technology by poachers and wildlife photographers, and envisioning the future of aquatic telemetry science and application.