Science communicator: White paper for the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada
Context
The Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada sought a white paper for a panel it had convened to advise on how the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) could improve its communication of aquaculture science findings and resulting policy decisions to Canadians in the face of mistrust and misinformation.
Objective
Provide practical recommendations for “quick win” improvements that could be achieved relatively quickly and cost-effectively.
Action
Action
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- Within the very tight time constraint permitted, researched and wrote a paper on the barriers and facilitators to communicating science in the context of DFO and its stakeholders based on
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- personal study of biases, risk vs. hazard, the adoption/rejection of knowledge, etc.
- information and opinions from interviews with knowledgeable DFO staffers on their “lived experience” of communicating science
- a survey of Canadians, developed specifically for this paper, about what they know, don’t know and want to know about aquaculture
- web-based research
- a mountain of other information provided by DFO and interviewees
Impact/Benefit
The white paper and its six “quick win” recommendations added to the information the Expert Panel used to inform its own recommendations to the Government of Canada addressing the growing mistrust between DFO and its stakeholders, and the seemingly conflicting information on the effect of aquaculture on the marine environment.