Examining the Two Cultures Theory of Fisheries Knowledge: The Case of Bluefish Management

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Abstract
Many accounts of fisheries knowledge have relied on a general contrast between fishers' knowledge and scientists' knowledge. This "two cultures" theory suggests that both training and experience lead fishers and scientists to think in systematically different ways about fish and that resulting breakdowns in communications are a primary reason for management failures. The article traces seven disputes over bluefish science and argues that institutional factors, rather than differences in understanding, were more important in five of these seven disputes. In the final outcome the scientists rejected the "anecdotal" information of fishers, but not because they did not believe that it accurately reflected the condition of the stock. The reasons for this final outcome are to be found in the institutions governing the interactions between the two groups.