Indigenous Knowledge Is Key to Better Ocean Management

Communities like the Makahs, Yakamas and Puyallup lived in harmony with the rivers and coasts of the U.S. Pacific Northwest for generations. They revered the salmon, relying on it for food, livelihoods and cultural traditions. Waterways and salmon populations thrived - and so did native communities.

But beginning in the mid-1800s, everything changed.

The government restricted local communities' fishing rights, dammed the rivers and expanded the commercial fishing industry. Commercial agriculture grew. Pesticides from nearby farms polluted waterways. Salmon populations plummeted.

The Makahs and others fought back through the "Fish Wars" of the 1960s, eventually earning back the right to fish their ancestral waters, though disputes linger to this day. Local communities now largely co-manage waterways such as the Columbia River with the Washington state government. They work to protect and restore salmon habitats by implementing fishing seasons and installing "fish ladders" to help fish navigate dammed waterways. While discussions on how best to manage the rivers continue, salmon populations have started to increase.

The case of the Pacific Northwest is just one example of how Indigenous communities play an integral role in sustainably managing waterways. Yet too often, they're excluded from policymaking or denied their rights to steward the ecosystems they coexist with and depend upon.

A new Ocean Panel Blue Paper makes the case for governments to co-produce ocean management policies with Indigenous communities - not just to right historical wrongs, but to ensure that marine ecosystems are managed sustainably and equitably.

Fishing platforms in Stevenson, Washington. Local communities have won back many of their fishing rights, though disputes remain. Photo by GarysFRP/iStock

Ocean Policies Often Disadvantage Indigenous Knowledge Holders

There's a longstanding legacy of inequitable distribution of ocean management strategies' benefits and opportunities. Research shows Indigenous and local communities are often disadvantaged, with policies denying their fishing rights, restricting their access to coastal areas due to growing tourism and economic development, and excluding them from ocean decision-making.

These inequities persist due to active political and economic marginalization, reinforced by legal and governance frameworks. Policymakers also tend to prioritize economic and scientific views over Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems.

Not only are these realities unjust, they are in direct conflict with sustainable and equitable ocean planning.

The significant role of Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems in stewarding the ocean cannot be ignored. Many Indigenous Peoples have a deep connection to their surrounding environment that has been developed and verified over millennia. Indigenous knowledge systems often reflect a holistic and systematic way of thinking based on intimate relationships between humans and other species. These aspects of co-existing with the marine environment are essential for halting extractive or overly exploitive approaches to ocean governance.

There's Growing Recognition of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Ocean Planning

But things are starting to change. Today, as many countries grapple with their colonial histories, there is growing recognition that co-producing ocean plans with Indigenous knowledge holders can lead to better laws and policies.

In Canada, for example, the concept of "Two-Eyed Seeing" is emerging. Mi'kmaq Elders Murdena and Albert Marshall define it as "the gift of multiple perspective treasured by many aboriginal peoples . . . it refers to learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing, and to using both these eyes together, for the benefit of all."

In New Zealand, the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board partnered with the Moana Project, a large multidisciplinary ocean modeling research program which focuses on understanding marine heat waves, the connectivity of marine species and cross-cultural knowledge exchange. Indigenous knowledge and scientific data contributed to the development of the Whakatōhea Moana Plan, an Indigenous-led approach to management of the coastal and marine area. The Plan aims to enhance fisheries and ecosystems while expanding the benefits that the Whakatōhea people earn from the marine economy, among other goals.

A fishing boat in Banten, Indonesia. A constitutional amendment recognizes customary communities' rights to manage marine areas and fisheries. Photo by Tom Fisk/Pexels

Integrating Knowledge Systems for Effective Ocean Management Plans

As part of their commitment to the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, many national governments are currently in the process of developing Sustainable Ocean Plans, which act as an umbrella for ocean governance. The ultimate goal is to ensure 100% of a country's national waters are sustainably managed in a way that delivers on international commitments and builds a resilient economy that benefits future generations.

However, how these plans are developed and by whom is of critical importance.

Specifically, governments have an opportunity to co-produce their Sustainable Ocean Plans in ways that engage individuals, communities and policymakers in a shared vision of ocean stewardship. This can allow ocean governance to be tailored to local contexts, as Indigenous and traditional knowledge is deeply rooted in specific ecosystems, landscapes and cultural understandings of nature. Co-producing Sustainable Ocean Plans with Indigenous and traditional knowledge-holders is also essential for achieving equity, restorative justice and decolonization in ocean governance.

There are many examples showing that including Indigenous knowledge and rights in policymaking can yield positive results, which can serve as inspiration for countries' Sustainable Ocean Plans. For example, a 2000 amendment to the Indonesian constitution recognized "customary communities and their traditional rights." The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries now recognizes 24 coastal communities as "masyarakat hukum adat" (translated as "customary law community"), giving these communities the legal right to participate in the planning, use and management of their marine areas and fisheries. Such recognition builds on customary institutions such as Awig-awig that govern fishing and coral reef uses in Lombok and Bali, which have also been officially recognized by laws.

Meanwhile, in Australia, First Nations people have sustainably cared for their "sea country" for more than 65,000 years. For them, the ocean holds deep cultural and spiritual significance, and they have therefore balanced their economic aspirations with respectful stewardship of the marine environment for countless generations. Australia recognized the power of this enduring connection in its Sustainable Ocean Plan, establishing a dedicated national sea country First Nations reference group. The group, consisting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with years of lived experience, provides strategic advice on culturally appropriate and respectful engagement with First Nations people. It also ensures First Nations' perspectives and aspirations from around Australia are central in the plan's development.

Ocean Planning with Indigenous Communities

Recognizing Indigenous Peoples' and traditional communities' rights in ocean governance is first and foremost an issue of equity. Respecting knowledge plurality and establishing equitable partnerships based on trust and care must be at the heart of ocean policymaking. When done correctly, producing Sustainable Ocean Plans through true partnership provides pathways to restoring not only people's relationship with the ocean, but with each other.