Discourse, Values, and Contested Futures for Maine Aquaculture

Abstract

Aquaculture is a growing sector in U.S. waters that is often positioned as an important source of revenue and protein. However, as its footprint grows in coastal waters, so too does social conflict in shoreside communities related to competing values, problem definitions, and policy priorities, suggesting the need for more research about the social dimensions of aquaculture development. This research explores the complex social dynamics of aquaculture development in the state of Maine, examining how diverse values and perspectives shape conflicts and possibilities within marine resource governance. Through a mixed methods approach that combines qualitative discourse analysis, Q methodology, interviews, and ethnographic observation, the research explores the nuanced landscape of stakeholder perspectives on aquaculture development and argues for the importance of attending to values as policies steer growth of the sector. This dissertation is structured around the following four research questions: 1) How do different actors frame the ‘problem’ of aquaculture in Maine news media and what values and beliefs underpin these frames?; 2) How do these frames shape intractability in aquaculture-related social conflict?; 3) How do diverse values and beliefs inform competing perspectives about the policy processes guiding Maine aquaculture development?; 4) How do different actors involved in Maine’s aquaculture assemblage shape possibilities for equitable governance of the sector? Chapter 1 of this dissertation introduces sources of friction related to aquaculture development, describes the theoretical framework guiding this body of work, and provides context about the study site. Chapter 2 addresses the first two research questions using qualitative media analysis to analyze how different actors frame the ‘problem’ of aquaculture, identify the values and beliefs underpinning these frames, and considers how these frames shape intractability, or resistance to resolution, in aquaculture conflicts. The research identifies framing that portrays aquaculture in binary terms and communicate an array of values and concerns. This analysis illuminates how polarization and ideological conflict contribute to intractability, but also reveals potential areas of convergence that may enable reframing, reduce polarization, and encourage tractability. Chapter 3 explores the question of how diverse values and beliefs inform competing perspectives about the policy processes guiding Maine aquaculture development using the Q method. This chapter reveals how diverse values and beliefs about aquaculture produce distinct viewpoints with differing opinions about the future of aquaculture development. The study involved a Q sort exercise and interviews with forty participants who hold diverse positions on aquaculture development in Maine. Analysis revealed five distinct groups of perspectives, each of which centers different values and beliefs about how aquaculture development on Maine’s coast should (or should not) proceed. While there is relative consensus around the merits of small-scale, owner-operated shellfish farming, findings highlight the need to differentiate between species and cultivation practices in both discourse and management. Chapter 4 tackles the final research question by applying community and diverse economies theories and methods to examine how actors in the aquaculture governance assemblage resist neoliberal management of ocean space as they advocate for more equitable governance. Using an assemblage lens to understand aquaculture governance in Maine, and a mix of ethnographic observation and qualitative analysis of policy and public testimony, this chapter studies how various actors involved in aquaculture development work to engender a more equitable future by advocating for just participation, more-than-human welfare, and limits to corporate, large-scale growth. In doing so, these actors resist a future of aquaculture that is solely a capitalist project and offer more-than-capitalist visions of how aquaculture growth can unfold. The dissertation contributes to emerging scholarship on the social dimensions of aquaculture by demonstrating how conflict emerges from divergent values and revealing potential pathways for convergence. This research argues for the importance of value-centric policymaking that recognizes the ideological nature of marine resource governance. People in communities impacted by aquaculture development demonstrate a commitment to a diverse range of values, including environmental health, community wellbeing, livelihoods, and maritime heritage. Managers and policymakers have choices to make about which values underlie their priorities. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing species-specific nuances, diverse values, and alternative visions for the future of the sector. This research demonstrates that aquaculture development is a work-in-progress that contains many possible futures beyond neoliberal enclosure, and aligning management with values is an important step in realizing these possibilities.