The Aquaculture policy community : a case study of the salmon farming industry in British Columbia and the role of advocacy coalitions on the policy process
Date
1996
Authors
Nixon, Tom Joseph
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Abstract
With the introduction of salmon farming in British Columbia in the late 1970's, aquaculture went from a small "cottage" style industry based on the harvesting of shellfish, to a rapidly expanding multi-million dollar industry demanding a wide range of government services. Very quickly salmon farming generated controversy as supporters clashed with opponents over the economic and health impacts of the industry. The purpose of this thesis is to describe and interpret the evolution of the aquaculture policy community in British Columbia, and to analyze the role played by competing advocacy coalitions within the policy community. The goal will be to test the theory that a policy community will be dominated by the belief system of one advocacy coalition, and that any policy deviation from its beliefs will not be the result of the actions of a weaker coalition to influence state decision makers within the policy community, but rather from sources external to the policy community.
To provide a context for assessing the evolution of the aquaculture policy community in British Columbia, a historical dimension has been incorporated into the study. This encompasses an examination of the pre-conditions that led to the establishment of salmon farming in B.C., including economic, scientific and political factors.