Chapter 5 : the scientific expert in the example of regional fishery management councils: a multi-faceted player in the decision-making process

Abstract

the management and conservation of fish stocks require precise scientificknowledge, especially on the state of said stocks and their capacity for renewal. Forinstance, the setting of fishing “quotas”, which consists in the determination of thequantity of fish that can be taken in a given period, cannot be done at random sincethese allocations represent environmental and economic stakes. thus, decisionmakers logically call upon experts to adopt informed decisions. consequently,various regional fisheries commissions created scientific committees, which wereassociated to their work to have available knowledge on a permanent basis. andyet, the institutionalisation of scientific expertise within regional fisheriescommissions led the expert to go beyond its traditional role of knowledge provider.Facing his usual context of scientific uncertainty, the expert has indeed acquiredother responsibilities. through this “micro-legal” study – in the sense that it resultsfrom an empirical analysis of the Mediterranean context – we will try to highlightthe different functions of the expert associated with the decision process in the fieldof the management and protection of Mediterranean fish stocks