Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation III
Burger, J., Gochfeld, M., Powers, C. W., Kosson, D. S., Halverson, J., Siekaniec, G., Morkill, A., Patrick, R., and L.K. Duffy. (2006). Stakeholder driven, collaborative research with risks from consumption of marine fish and shellfish, Society of Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. San Antonio, Texas.
Abstract:
A wide range of stakeholders should be included in the problem formulation phase of research aimed at solving environmental problems. We advocate the additional inclusion of stakeholders in the refinement of research methods and protocols and in the execution of the research, rather than just at the final communication phase. We use a study of potential radionuclide levels in marine biota around Amchitka Island as a case study. Amchitka Island, in the Aleutian Island Chain of Alaska, was the site of three underground nuclear tests (1965-1971). Our objective was to assess current food safety and provide a baseline for developing a plan to monitor human and ecosystem health. Stakeholders, including regulators (State of Alaska), resource trustees (US Fish and Wildlife Service, State of Alaska), representatives of the Aleut and Pribilof Island communities, the DOE, and others, were essential for plan development. While these stakeholders were included in the development of a science plan, we also included them in the refinement of protocols, selection of bioindicators, of a reference site, choice of collection methods, and in the execution of the study itself. Meetings with stakeholders resulted in adding (or deleting) bioindicator species and tissues, prioritizing, refining sampling methods, and recruiting personnel. Two major refinements that changed the research thrust were 1) the inclusion of Aleut hunters and fishers on the biological expedition itself to ensure that subsistence foods and methods were represented, and 2) the addition of a fisheries biologist on a NOAA research trawler to allow sampling of commercial fishes. The inclusion of stakeholders during the development of protocols and the research itself improved the quality of the investigation, while making it more relevant to interested and affected parties. The process of stakeholder inclusion made the research more valuable as a source of credible information and for public policy decisions.