Aiming for the next level of transdisciplinary marine research

Based on 20 years of experience in collaborative fisheries research with fishers (science-industry research collaboration: SIRC), we will reflect on three critical, interlinked issues that need to be tackled to bring co-production of knowledge through SIRC to the next level. (1) The impact of the link between governance and science on SIRC: Role definition is important in SIRC. (2) Barriers to high level SIRC: There are levels of SIRC, the lowest level of collaboration is fishers providing their vessels as research platforms. (3) Use of different types of knowledge: In established science systems in support of marine management, there is strong preference for quantitative information. Based on concrete examples from SIRC experiences in the Netherlands and published cases from elsewhere, we will discuss these critical issues and how they are interlinked. For instance, the inclusion of experiential knowledge in science may have (real or perceived) risks for stakeholder participation in governance. We will also propose ways forward.