The Role of Science
Decision-makers will face many hard choices as they attempt to improve the condition of Washington's salmon, steelhead, and trout resources and the habitats on which they rely, while they also maintain a healthy and vibrant state economy.
One of the guiding principles of the draft salmon strategy states: "The Statewide Salmon Recovery Strategy must be credible, based on the best available science and must set priorities and be adaptive." This will help ensure that decisions are as objective as possible, that risks and tradeoffs among options are clarified, and that conservation actions are focused on the most important problems.
Managers and decision-makers need scientific information on resource conditions, management options, and consequences of those options. They can use this information to help weigh decisions about how natural resources can be used and conserved.
Science is not a panacea. Scientific information and analyses can help provide direction and answer some key questions, but will not solve all problems. For example, science simply may not be able to address some questions, due to technological limitations; or results from investigations may take too long to meet current needs.
There is always more that we don't know than what we know about nature and how our actions will result in the desired outcomes. The pursuit of knowledge using science that leads to an answer to one question usually leads us to ask several new questions that we had not known to ask before. This is just the nature of science at work.
- The goal of science in the Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon is to ensure that managers and policy-makers use the best scientific information available when making decisions. This means that scientific information must be identified but it does not mean that only scientific information will be used in making decisions. Policy decisions must be based on a diversity of information including legal, social, cultural, economic, and policy considerations, as well as science.
Scientists will not make policy decisions. Scientists will, however, be able to identify the best scientific information, provide a key role in analyzing the benefits, risks, and impacts of alternative courses of action, and advise policy-makers on a wide range of scientific topics.
How is scientific advice and information incorporated?
Various mechanisms are used to incorporate scientific information and guidance in decision-making. State agencies routinely use their in-house scientific resources in activities related to salmon recovery. Federal agencies, tribes, local governments, and other recovery partners also have scientific staff resources working on recovery issues on an ongoing basis. In addition, independent scientific assistance and review has a key role in ensuring the best available scientific information is used in salmon recovery activities.
In August, 2000, the state Office of Community Development adopted procedural criteria for local governments regarding the identification and evaluation of scientific information associated with local critical areas. These criteria are commonly referred to as the Best Available Science Rule. In addition, in 2002 the Office of Community Development published a list of citations meeting the characteristics of Best Available Science. The Best Available Science Rule, the citations document, and other information can be found at the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development's Web site.
Similar to state agencies, federal agencies, tribes, local governments, and other recovery partners also have scientific staff resources working on recovery issues on an ongoing basis.