Current Research:

Fine-scale Dynamics of Human Adaptation in Coupled Natural and Social Systems

The objective of this project is to develop and test a unique agent-based modeling approach in which agents (fishermen) learn and adapt, thereby making the exploration of the dynamics of fine-scale human and natural system interactions possible. We believe this approach will lead to a better understanding of the way the fine-scale coupled dynamics of these systems affect informal social structure, patterns of harvesting and natural system structure. We plan to study the fine-scale human-natural systems dynamics in three fisheries: lobster, urchins, and groundfish. This project is funded by the Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems Program of the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0909449.

• Wilson, J., J. Acheson, T. Johnson, R. Steneck, Y. Chen, P. Hayes, A. Hayden, C. Cleaver, G. Morehead, C.B. Congdon. 2010. Fine-scale Dynamics of Human Adaptation in Coupled Systems: Adaptive Agent-based Modeling of Fisheries. Poster presented at the Maine EPSCoR State Conference, Wells Conference Center, University of Maine, Orono, Maine. November 8, 2010.
• Johnson, T.R., J.A. Wilson, C. Cleaver, and R. Vadas. 2012. Social-ecological scale mismatches and the collapse of the Maine sea urchin fishery. Ecology and Society 17(2):15. [online] URL:http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol17/iss2/art15/
• Johnson, T.R., J.A. Wilson, C. Cleaver*, G. Morehead*, R. Vadas. 2013. Modeling fine scale urchin-kelp dynamics: Implications for fisheries management. Fisheries Research 141:107-117

 

Understanding Resilience and Change in Maine Fishing Communities

One objective of my research is to understand how fishing communities respond to change and how to improve the use of social and economic considerations in policy-making. With funding from Maine Sea Grant, we are assessing the vulnerability and adaptive capacity, or resilience, of Maine fishing communities. This Maine Sea Grant project is interested in how fishing communities have been impacted by social and ecological changes, how they responded to those changes, and how they might respond in the future. This research will involve ethnographic research in fishing communities, oral history interviews, focus group meetings, and an analysis of existing data. With funding from NOAA's Saltonstall Kennedy (S-K) grant program program we are looking specifically at the capacity of Eastern Maine fishing communities to participate in catch share programs.

In the project, "Aquaculture in Shared Waters," funded by the National Sea Grant Program, are also collaborating with Maine Sea Grant, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Aquaculture Association, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, Coastal Enterprises Inc., and the Island Institute to provide training to fishermen interested in aquaculture, while also conducting social science research to understand the attitudes, perceptions and knowledge of fishermen with respect to adding aquaculture to their fishing operations.

 Schmitt, C. Fishing Community Resilience: An Interview with Dr. Teresa Johnson. November 2011.

 

Maine Tidal Power Initiative: Linking Knowledge to Action for Responsible Development (Sustainability Solutions Initiative)

Interest in developing tidal power in Maine has expanded significantly. The Maine Tidal Power Initiative (MPTI), a team of engineers, biologists, oceanographers, and social scientists, has been working closely with developers and regulators to understand how to best move forward with the responsible development of this renewable resource. With funding from the Sustainabiltity Solutions Initiative and the Department of Energy, I am leading the human dimensions research to understand community concerns and potential social impacts related to tidal power. A key goal is to identify ways to effectively link knowledge to action between scientists and stakeholders, broadly including policy-makers, developers, and the communities interested or likely impacted by tidal power development. Our work began with the sites furthest along in development; those being developed by the Ocean Energy Renewable Company (ORPC), which is focusing on the Western Passage and Cobscook Bay sites, the two best tidal energy sites identified on the East Coast of the U.S. This research has been supported by National Science Foundation award EPS-0904155 to Maine EPSCoR Sustainability Solutions Initiative at the University of Maine and Department of Energy award EE0000298 to the University of Maine.

• Johnson, T. and G. Zydlewski. 2012. Research for the Sustainable Development of Tidal Power in Maine. Maine Policy Review 21(1):58-64.
• Project description: Renewable Energy from the Tides
• Featured research on MPBN documentary, Sustainable Maine, Episode 1: "Triple Bottom Line."
• MTPI Review meeting presentations, Cobcook Bay Learning Center, September 18, 2012:

 

Collaborative Research and Management: Science, Knowledge, and Decision-making

Collaborative research, in its current form, began nearly ten years ago in this region when Congress allocated millions of dollars to fund industry-science cooperative research in New England. I have studied industry-science collaborations in the Northeast U.S. since 2002, with a focus on cooperative research in the federal New England groundfish and Mid-Atlantic squid fisheries. In particular, I have examined the role of fishermen and their knowledge (and how they interact with scientists and their knowledge) in these collaborations (e.g., Johnson 2010; Johnson and van Densen 2007; McCay et al. 2006). Drawing on the field of science studies, I am interested in how cooperative research affects the boundaries between science and non-science and the role of different forms of expertise in science policy. I also remain interested in the issue of participation: Who is involved in cooperative research? Who isn't? Why? What does participation mean? More generally, I seek to assess whether (and how) cooperative research has made a difference to science, policy-making, and the fishing industry.

• Johnson, T.R., B.J. McCay. 2012. Trading expertise:  The rise and demise of an industry/government committee on survey trawl design. Maritime Studies 11:14. [online] URL:http://www.maritimestudiesjournal.com/content/11/1/14
• Johnson, T.R. 2011. Fishermen, scientists, and boundary spanners: Cooperative research in the US Illex squid fishery. Society and Natural Resources 24(3): 242–255.
• Johnson, T.R. 2010. Cooperative research and knowledge flow in the marine commons: Lessons from the Northeast United States. International Journal of the Commons. 4(1):251-272

 

Other Relevant Publications, Posters, and Presentations

Relevant Technical Reports

• St. Martin, K., B. McCay, T. Johnson, and T. Rohrbach. 2005. Assessing Recreational Fishing Communities: A Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Rutgers the State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
• St. Martin, K., T. Johnson, and T. Rohrbach. 2005. A Profile of Recreational Fishing in Point Pleasant New Jersey. A Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Fisheries Project, Rutgers the State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
• McCay, B.J., B. Oles, B. Stoffle, E. Bochenek, K. St. Martin, G. Graziosi, T. Johnson, and J. Lamarque.  2002. Social Impact Assessment, Amendment 9, Squid, Atlantic Mackerel, and Butterfish FMP. A Report to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Rutgers the State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, June 27, 2002.
• McCay, B.J., B. Oles, B. Stoffle, E. Bochenek, K. St. Martin, G. Graziosi, T. Johnson, and J. Lamarque. 2002. Port and Community Profiles, Amendment 9, Squid, Atlantic Mackerel, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan: A Report to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Rutgers the State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, June 27, 2002
• McCay, B.J., D.C. Wilson, J. Lamarque, K. St Martin, E. Bochenek, B. Stoffle, B. Oles, and T. Johnson. 2002. Port and Community Profiles and Social Impact Assessment, Amendment 13 of the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan: A Report to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Rutgers the State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, February 2002.