Identifying opportunities toward conflict transformation in an Orca-Salmon-Human system

Conservation interventions increasingly clash with other human activities, often resulting in conflict among people, communities, and wildlife. One means by which to address and overcome conflicts is through examining their roots in identities and beliefs; in this way, researchers can identify potential routes to conflict interventions that address different kinds—and levels of—conflict often ignored in conventional management. In the Salish Sea region, conflict has emerged following measures by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans that restrict recreational Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fishing to protect endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus ater). Public response has been conflict-laden, especially between “angler” and “conservation-supporter” communities—stakeholder groups portrayed in the media as distinct and opposed. We used online surveys to examine the identity, beliefs, and opinions of stakeholders. Most survey participants (n = 727) self-identified saliently as either conservation-supporters (53%) or anglers (34%), although some held both identities. Both groups scored similarly high in environmental and stakeholder identity affiliation scores, also showing association between the intensity of identities with public engagement in management discourse. Groups differed strongly (χ2 = 156.27, p <.001) in management beliefs, with conservation supporters favoring core management priorities of species conservation, while anglers favored a balanced or natural resource-oriented approach. Despite divergences in beliefs and management priorities, more individuals self-identified as both anglers and conservation-supporters than one would expect based only on existing media portrayals. Ultimately, our results identify conflicts between stakeholder groups as deeply-embedded. Commonalities (in identities and beliefs regarding Chinook), however, suggest a path forward that draws on conservation conflict transformation theory. Broadly, our approach offers new generalizable insight into the levels-of-conflict framework to inform scholarly and practical endeavors.