The making of a louse - constructing governmental technology for sustainable aquaculture
Please note: This page may contain data in Norwegian that is not translated to English.
Author
Osmundsen, Tonje Cecilie; Olsen, Marit Schei; Thorvaldsen, Trine
Year
2019
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd.
Type of publication:
Hovud-/magister-/masteroppgåve
Link to publication:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.12.002
Link to review:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.12.002
Comment:
Tidsskrift:
Environmental Science and Policy. 2020, 104 121-128.
Number of pages:
22
ISSN:
1462-9011
Language of publication:
Engelsk
Country of publication:
Norge
NSD-reference:
4746
This page was last updated:
2021-10-05 11:04:25.063
Summary
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.