The making of a louse - constructing governmental technology for sustainable aquaculture
Forfatter
Osmundsen, Tonje Cecilie; Olsen, Marit Schei; Thorvaldsen, Trine
Årstall
2019
Utgiver
Elsevier Ltd.
Publikasjonstype:
Hovud-/magister-/masteroppgåve
Fulltekst:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.12.002
Omtale:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.12.002
Kommentar:
Tidsskrift:
Environmental Science and Policy. 2020, 104 121-128.
Antall sider:
22
ISSN-nummer:
1462-9011
Publiseringsspråk:
Engelsk
Land publikasjonen kommer fra:
Norge
NSD-referanse:
4746
Disse opplysningene er sist endret:
2021-10-05 11:04:25.063
Sammendrag
Salmon production, and aquaculture in general, entails certain environmental risks that must be managed and controlled. In Norway, as in other aquaculture-producing countries, governments seek means of improving the industry and encouraging sustainable conduct. In Norwegian aquaculture regulation, the salmon louse has become an important indicator and regulatory instrument – a governmental technology. The louse is a proxy for the environmental impact of the industry and as a governmental technology, it is used to regulate and incite behavior. In this paper, we draw on results from both interviews and an analysis of responses to a consultation round for a governmental White Paper proposing new means for regulating the growth of the aquaculture industry. Based on these results, we investigate the becoming of the salmon louse as a regulatory instrument, and how this is perceived among relevant stakeholders. The political significance of the salmon louse serves to illuminate how a governmental technology is created to instill control from a distance. The history of how the salmon louse has become a governable object additionally elucidates disagreements and uncertainties surrounding modern salmon farming and demonstrates that the creation of governmental technologies persists in the face of resistance.