Sbrocchi, Carla, Ogier, Emily, Fidelman, Pedro, Barclay, Kate, Diedrich, Amy, Dyer, Michelle, Fabinyi, Michael, Fleming, Aysha, Gurney, Georgina, Hodgson-Johnston, Indi, Lawless, Sarah, Melbourne-Thomas, Jess, Navarro, Matt, Pascoe, Sean, Pecl, Gretta, Smith, Bethany, Stacey, Natasha, and Voyer, Michelle (2026) Social sciences for meeting Australia’s ocean goals. Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs. (In Press)

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Abstract

ABSTRACT A healthy ocean delivers critical benefits, including livelihoods, recreation, seafood, and economic productivity. Realising these benefits depends on understanding human-ocean interactions, the domain of marine social sciences (MSS). MSS span disciplines such as economics, sociology, psychology, geography and political science, and support forward-looking management by addressing distributional equity alongside ecological sustainability. This paper outlines a pathway for Australia to achieve a marine science strategy that is responsive, trusted, and equitable for its communities and industries. We conceptualise the enabling role of marine social sciences through three interlinked functions: understanding human-mediated drivers; designing human-centred ocean actions and innovations; and programming integrated, participatory and future-facing marine science. We recommend coordinated action in three priority areas: (i) incorporate social sciences into marine science research and data infrastructure; (ii) build capability in MSS and allied disciplines to support national integrated marine science initiatives; (iii) recognise and work with diverse forms of knowledge and knowledge holders for equity and impact. Together, these priorities aim to embed MSS in national research and policy, build enabling data and institutional infrastructure, and enhance Australia’s capacity to deliver ocean science that serves the public good.

Item ID:	92875
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2333-6498
Keywords:	Social sciences; marine science; ocean policy; equity; human-ocean interactions
Copyright Information:	© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Date Deposited:	27 Jul 2026 07:02
FoR Codes:	41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410499 Environmental management not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180599 Marine systems and management not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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