Contested science and endangered salmon in news media

Science can become fuel in fiery public debates about natural resource issues. Salmon hatcheries on the west coast of the United States and Canada have long been contentious as locales for the practice of science-based... [ view full abstract ]

Science can become fuel in fiery public debates about natural resource issues. Salmon hatcheries on the west coast of the United States and Canada have long been contentious as locales for the practice of science-based management. Hatcheries lie at the intersection of competing government mandates to simultaneously provide fishing opportunities and conserve genetically distinct populations of salmon. This precarious position has made hatcheries a point of conflict in communities where salmon is central to culture and food. Drawing on a content analysis of 233 American and Canadian newspaper articles focusing on salmon hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest from the years 2000-2015, we find that science was hotly contested in conversations about hatcheries. This occurred most notably in a decade-long legal debate over the inclusion of hatchery fish in U.S. Endangered Species Act listings. The framing of genetics by opponents in this debate revealed fundamentally different views about the nature of scientific knowledge and the role of science in salmon management. Endangered Species regulations have tangible and varying implications for people in rural communities who depend on water for irrigation, on forestry for income, or on fishing for livelihood and passion. Indigenous communities have much at stake and have a powerful voice in these decisions. The fundamental question involved in this debate, ‘should wild and hatchery salmon be treated the same or differently under endangered species legislation?’ has had lasting influence on salmon management in both the U.S. and Canada. This politicization of salmon and science-based management in rural society is a telling example of the increasingly polarized and volatile place for science in the public sphere.