Inland recreational fisheries has grown philosophically and scientifically to consider economic and sociopolitical aspects (non-biological) in addition to the biological. However, integrating biological and non-biological aspects of inland fisheries has been challenging. Thus, an opportunity exists to develop approaches and tools which operationalize planning and decision-making processes which include biological and non-biological aspects of a fishery. This dissertation expands the idea that a core set of goals and objectives is shared among and within inland fisheries agencies; that many routine operations of inland fisheries managers can be regimented or standardized; and the novel concept that current information and operations can be used to improve decision making through structured decision making and adaptive management approaches at the agency scale. In CHAPTER II, my results show that the goals of inland fisheries agencies tend to be more similar than different but have expanded and diversified since the 1970s. I suggest that changes in perspectives and communication technology, as well as provisions within nationwide funding mechanisms, have led to goals becoming more homogenous across the USA and more diverse within each bureau. In CHAPTER III, I found that standardized collection and careful curation of data has allowed one inland fisheries bureau to acquire a large fish and fisheries database and that managers use this database to summarize common fish population parameters and indices, craft objectives, and set targets. The regimentation of data management and analysis has helped managers within the inland fisheries bureau to assess fish populations and fisheries efficiently and effectively across waterbodies within their districts and state. In CHAPTER IV, I extend CHAPTERS II and III to show that biological and non-biological management objectives and their associated measurable attributes and management actions can be synthesized into a common set of decision elements. I demonstrate how common decision elements enable managers to easily structure decisions and help to address common problems at the agency scale. Using a subset of common decision elements, I demonstrate how existing agency operations (e.g., monitoring) can be used to expedite learning and improve decision making for a common problem faced by managers in multiple, similar systems.

L’anti-microbio-gouvernance apparaît comme un ensemble de politiques, de standards et d’avis judicieux visant à responsabiliser les pratiques à l’égard des conséquences d’une technologie – l’antibiotique. Si l’antibiotique améliore à court terme l’offre de soins (la cure pharmaceutique), il est aussi à la source de nouveaux risques anthropiques et écologiques à long terme pour la santé, la productivité et la biodiversité, en raison de l’émergence de gènes de résistance réduisant l’efficacité des traitements et faisant pression sur les communautés bactériennes – humaines, urbaines, édaphiques, etc. L’appréciation de ce dilemme (cure / risque), puis la performance de sa gestion, reposent sur la qualité des politiques et du processus d’antimicrobiogouvernance ainsi que des réflexions en amont intégrant les valeurs (éthiques), les savoirs (scientifiques) et l’expérience. La vision globale de Van Rensselaer Potter pour la bioéthique ouvre la perspective vers la philosophie et la pratique d’Aldo Leopold, dont une technique d’aménagement adaptatif des écosystèmes co-construite, par communauté, sur la base d’une bio-éthique globale (techno-socio-écologique) des pratiques et de l’environnement. En effet, comment responsabiliser tout un chacun face à une cure, à un risque et à l’incertitude ? En prenant la perspective de la sociologie des organisations, cette thèse explore une piste étudiée en science, technologie et société : comment concerter l’humain et le non-humain (les technologies et la Nature) par la voie de systèmes (communication, collaboration et éducation) pour anticiper l’émergence de problèmes ? L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer une approche en éthique pour coconstruire la gouvernance des relations se tissant entre les secteurs et les disciplines bâtis sur les valeurs de la santé, de la productivité et de la biodiversité. À sa racine, ce cadre de gouvernance vise à dynamiser l’arbitrage de l’accès et de la protection des données – et conséquemment le trajet de l’information, des connaissances et des applications technologiques, pratiques et politiques – sans briser la confiance des acteurs impliqués. L’arbitrage des données, à la source de la production des connaissances techniques, est la clé pour orienter les systèmes de communication et de politiques conduisant à des conseils et à des régulations. Cette nouvelle approche en éthique cherche à avancer la vision d’un projet commun sans altérer l’intégrité des actions spécifiques à la médecine, à l’agriculture et à l’écologie. Cette thèse théorise et applique le procédé d’une bioéthique expérimentale combinant les façons de faire empirique, réflexive et multisite. Elle s’inspire de méthodes en anthropologie, en sociologie et en gestion, et de la réflexivité balancée. Quatre unités épistémiques sont articulées in fine selon une logique précise pour éviter un biais cognitif auquel le raisonnement d’une bio-éthique s’expose (le sophisme naturaliste) : le descriptif, une prise de conscience (partie I) ; l’appréciatif, une théorie de travail (partie II) ; le normatif, la préparation du terrain (partie III) ; et l’évaluatif, les outils de bioéthique (partie IV). Ultimement, le produit de l’approche est un cadre de gouvernance coconstruit avec plusieurs collaborateurs dont les initiatives sont susceptibles de provoquer des changements politiques et scientifiques. À titre de bioéthicien, l’intention est d’aider les personnes et les institutions ayant le leadership de projets de société à développer des outils capables d’encapaciter (ang., empowerment) les communautés à gouverner les changements à venir qui les concernent. / Anti-microbial governance can be understood as a set of policies, standards and judicious guidance aimed at making practices more responsible for the consequences of a technology – the antibiotic. While in the short-term antibiotics improve the quality of care (the pharmaceutical cure), they also create new long-term risks to anthropical and environmental health, productivity and biodiversity, due to the emergence of resistance genes that reduce the effectiveness of treatments and put pressure on bacterial communities – human, urban, edaphic, etc. The appreciation of this cure / risk dilemma, and the performance of its management, rely on the quality of the antimicrobial policy and governance processes as well as on upstream reflections integrating (ethical) values, (scientific) knowledge and experience. Van Rensselaer Potter’s global vision for bioethics opens the perspective towards Aldo Leopold’s philosophy and practice, namely an adaptive management technique of ecosystems co-constructed, per community, based on a global (techno-socio-ecological) bio-ethics of practices and the environment. Indeed, how can we make everyone responsible in the face of a cure, risk and uncertainty? By taking the perspective of the sociology of organizations, this thesis explores a path studied in Science, Technology and Society: how to bring together the human and the non-human (technologies and Nature) through (communication, collaboration and education) systems to anticipate the emergence of problems? This thesis will propose an approach in ethics to co-construct the governance of relationships between sectors and disciplines built on the values of health, productivity and biodiversity. At its root, this governance framework aims to energize the arbitration of access to and protection of data – and consequently the paths of information, knowledge and technological, practical and political applications – without breaking the trust of the actors involved. Data arbitration, at the source of technical knowledge production, is the key to guiding communication and policy systems toward guidelines and regulations. This new approach to ethics proposes the vision of a common project without altering the integrity of specific actions in medicine, agriculture and ecology. This thesis theorizes and applies the practice of an experimental bioethics combining empirical, reflexive, and multisite ways of thinking. It draws on methods in anthropology, sociology, and management, and uses the reflexive balancing process. Four epistemic units are articulated in fine according to a precise logic in order to avoid a cognitive bias to which the reasoning of a bioethics is exposed (the naturalistic fallacy): the descriptive, a raising of awareness (part I); the appreciative, a working theory (part II); the normative, the preparation of the terrain (part III); and the evaluative, the tools of bioethics (part IV). Ultimately, the product of this approach is a governance framework co-constructed with several collaborators whose initiatives have the potential to bring about policy and scientific changes. As a bioethicist, the intention is to help individual and institutional leaders of socio-technical projects to develop tools capable of empowering communities to prospectively govern the changes that concern them.

Records of abundance of salmon that return to their natal spawning stream (escapements) are important indices that can assist with monitoring, conservation, and management of a salmon population over time. On their own, however these data reveal very little about the habitat, ecosystem and human communities that salmon encounter on their journey from freshwater to sea and back again. This research examines monitoring protocols for Goldstream River salmon stocks (coho, chinook and chum Pacific salmon). It includes and reaches beyond biostatistics from stream surveys to gauge First Nations’ artisanal fishing activities at Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet as well as their commercial chum fishing endeavours in Saanich Inlet on south Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Methods included summations of major themes from interviews on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) shared by local Saanich First Nation fishers whose families have lived in the communities around Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet for more than 200 years. Analyses of Goldstream salmon escapements for the period 1932 to 2004 and native harvest statistics of chum caught from Saanich Inlet between 1982 and 2004 are integrated with results from analysis of TEK research undertaken for this project. Key recommendations arising from the results of this research are: stream habitat restoration in response to loss and degradation of salmon-bearing streams; modification of stream survey procedures to measure for morphological and physiological attributes including indicators of the health of Goldstream salmon; monitoring and eliminating sources of pollution to Saanich Inlet waters; implementing precautionary measures to ensure that overfishing of Goldstream salmon and shrimp in Saanich Inlet does not recur; and safeguarding naturally abundant Goldstream chum populations at the river. Under current management of the Goldstream chum fishery, the maximum carrying capacity (K) or target escapement of chum that the Goldstream River spawning grounds sustain is 15,000. Based on population assessments as well as physiography and ecosystem dynamics, I infer that Goldstream River’s K for its natural chum population is between ~16,000 and 18,000; ~1,500 for the mixed stocks of natural and hatchery enhanced coho; and ~50 for chinook (based on the river’s naturally occurring populations between 1932 and 1973) or ~385 enhanced chinook (based on the returning population from 1975 to 2002 since hatchery enhancement took place). A co-management relationship exists between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) resource managers and the Saanich First Nations bands (Saanich Tribal Fisheries councilors). Improvements to communication, collaboration and information sharing between DFO resource managers, Goldstream hatchery operators and Saanich First Nations with regards to decisions made about Goldstream salmon stocks are, however, necessary. In this thesis, I propose a model with recommendations for compatible fisheries management goals and techniques including adaptive management and ecosystem-based management to address this problem.

Records of abundance of salmon that return to their natal spawning stream (escapements) are important indices that can assist with monitoring, conservation, and management of a salmon population over time. On their own, however these data reveal very little about the habitat, ecosystem and human communities that salmon encounter on their journey from freshwater to sea and back again. This research examines monitoring protocols for Goldstream River salmon stocks (coho, chinook and chum Pacific salmon). It includes and reaches beyond biostatistics from stream surveys to gauge First Nations’ artisanal fishing activities at Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet as well as their commercial chum fishing endeavours in Saanich Inlet on south Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Methods included summations of major themes from interviews on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) shared by local Saanich First Nation fishers whose families have lived in the communities around Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet for more than 200 years. Analyses of Goldstream salmon escapements for the period 1932 to 2004 and native harvest statistics of chum caught from Saanich Inlet between 1982 and 2004 are integrated with results from analysis of TEK research undertaken for this project. Key recommendations arising from the results of this research are: stream habitat restoration in response to loss and degradation of salmon-bearing streams; modification of stream survey procedures to measure for morphological and physiological attributes including indicators of the health of Goldstream salmon; monitoring and eliminating sources of pollution to Saanich Inlet waters; implementing precautionary measures to ensure that overfishing of Goldstream salmon and shrimp in Saanich Inlet does not recur; and safeguarding naturally abundant Goldstream chum populations at the river. Under current management of the Goldstream chum fishery, the maximum carrying capacity (K) or target escapement of chum that the Goldstream River spawning grounds sustain is 15,000. Based on population assessments as well as physiography and ecosystem dynamics, I infer that Goldstream River’s K for its natural chum population is between ~16,000 and 18,000; ~1,500 for the mixed stocks of natural and hatchery enhanced coho; and ~50 for chinook (based on the river’s naturally occurring populations between 1932 and 1973) or ~385 enhanced chinook (based on the returning population from 1975 to 2002 since hatchery enhancement took place). A co-management relationship exists between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) resource managers and the Saanich First Nations bands (Saanich Tribal Fisheries councilors). Improvements to communication, collaboration and information sharing between DFO resource managers, Goldstream hatchery operators and Saanich First Nations with regards to decisions made about Goldstream salmon stocks are, however, necessary. In this thesis, I propose a model with recommendations for compatible fisheries management goals and techniques including adaptive management and ecosystem-based management to address this problem.