Assessing fisheries - using an ethical matrix in a participatory process

The Norwegian National Committee for Research Ethics in Science and Technology (NENT), collaborating with The Norwegian Fisherman's Association and The Research Council of Norway, started in 1999 a project aiming at an ethical assessment of Norwegian fisheries for the year 2020. The project was to prepare the ground for ethical debate in and of the fishery sector in view of pending important decisions on long term strategies. This paper has its focus on the method used for achieving these aims, rather than the substantive results concerning the fisheries. A method was developed for this purpose, called the ethical scenario process. This included the construction of scenarios for the future of Norwegian fisheries, using an ethical matrix for evaluating strategies, and organizing a "value workshop'' where participants from different stakeholder groups came together to do ethical evaluations. The positive achievements and the shortcomings of this method are discussed in this paper. The use of an ethical matrix was meant to combine a participatory approach with insights from theoretical ethics. The project revealed inherent tensions between these two objectives. Possible ways of dealing with this tension are indicated, but in general a good grasp of the socio-political context might be the best guardian against the possible pitfalls involved in such an approach.