Caring for Salmon: Epistemic Justice for Equitable Climate Futures

The uncertainty surrounding climate futures challenges existing scientific approaches while presenting opportunities for rethinking the role of knowledge in environmental governance. This talk critically examines the historic centralization of genetics as a dominant framework for defining human-salmon relationships, particularly in fisheries management and conservation. Drawing on a five-year ethnographic study of Pacific salmon in Canada and the United States, I explore how the reliance on genetic science has shaped salmon management practices and limited more relational, place-based approaches and Indigenous knowledge and governance systems. Through the lens of salmon hatcheries, I discuss the transformations needed in scientific institutions and governance platforms to advance epistemic justice as a critical fourth dimension of environmental justice. Overall, I call for models that better account for historical exclusions and support more inclusive frameworks for co-management and environmental decision-making.