Key players in the Grieg NL Placentia Bay Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Project: A social network analysis

Abstract

Global aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food industries, accounting for approximately half of all finfish and invertebrate production as of 2016. In Canada, provincial governments are pushing strongly for the development of the industry, which creates a problem in that governments are both regulators and promoters of the industry. In Newfoundland (NL), a recent aquaculture development, the Grieg NL Placentia Bay Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Project, was controversial due to the waiving of an environmental assessment (EA) by the NL Government, resulting in a court case. This study analyzed the Grieg NL case to understand how stakeholders operate in salmon aquaculture developments, specifically when governments waive procedures such as EAs. Semi-structured interviews were completed, identifying the linkages among players associated with the Project using social network analysis, and their underlying motivations. The results indicated that ENGOs and aquaculture industry were the two key stakeholder groups with opposing views on the Project, the former in opposition and the latter supportive. The opposing views were articulated around four underlying themes. The potential social and economic benefits were highlighted by those supportive of the Project while those opposed highlighted farmed salmon as unhealthy food, the potential environmental concerns associated with aquaculture, and the controversial role of the government regulating the aquaculture industry. The dual role of the government is central to this research, and thus further efforts on identifying this potential conflicting role could improve structural roadblocks in regulations that may threaten the industry's social acceptability.