Natural resource agencies can connect with people through the diverse ways they experience fish and nature through transformational change and using a relevancy framework. To conserve fishes into the future, managers must account for shifts in the types of resource usage and the changing demographics of resource users. In this symposium, we will share foundational knowledge of relevancy necessary to engage in these future challenges, research that broadens our understanding of the values of a changing user-base, and case studies highlighting the successes and failures of relevancy in practice. The symposium will conclude with an open, facilitated discussion between presenters and the audience with a focus on the future of conservation and relevancy and how to overcome related challenges.
Supported by:
- Equal Opportunities Section
- Cooperative Research with Stakeholders Section
- International Fisheries Section
Organizers:
- Samantha Betances, USFWS, [email protected]
- Lian Guo, California Sea Grant
- Emily Dean, Michigan State University
- Chelsey Crandall, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Asha Ajmani, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Lee Benaka, NOAA Fisheries Service