Managing collaboration under conservation crisis: Trust, risk, and control in the Gulf of Maine fishery management network

Authors

• Evelyn Roozee, McGill University
• Owen Temby, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
• Dongkyu Kim, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
• Antonia Sohns, McGill University
• Anthony Rocha Lima, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Jasper R. de Vries, Wageningen University
• Gordon M. Hickey, McGill University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2026

Abstract

Transboundary fishery management and the intertwined conservation of critically endangered species represent significant governance challenges that require ongoing inter-organizational communication, collaboration, and collective action to achieve shared objectives. Previous research suggests that inter-organizational collaborative performance depends heavily on different dimensions of trust and complementary control mechanisms to mitigate the perceived risks of collaborating and enable the reciprocal sharing of resources and the coordination of activities. However, it is unclear how proposed relationships between trust, risk, and control are shaped by disruptions to established transboundary management networks. This study presents the results of survey research conducted in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) of North America to better understand the collaborative relationships between different organizations involved in the transboundary fishery management and marine conservation network during disruption caused by the conservation crisis of the North Atlantic right whale (NARW). The results indicate that formal control strategies built two types of inter-organizational trust (rational and affinitive) more effectively than previously hypothesized, while informal control strategies were less beneficial than expected. These findings suggest that network managers and members may need to adapt their established control mechanisms in the face of disruption, relying more on formalized mechanisms in times of greater uncertainty and instability.

Comments

© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Recommended Citation

Roozee, Evelyn, Owen Temby, Dongkyu Kim, Antonia Sohns, Anthony R. Lima, Jasper R. de Vries, and Gordon M. Hickey. "Managing collaboration under conservation crisis: Trust, risk, and control in the Gulf of Maine fishery management network." Marine Policy 193 (2026): 107201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2026.107201

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Marine Policy

DOI

10.1016/j.marpol.2026.107201