Provide Information
The NFCC has an appreciation for facts and a passion for accuracy. We aim to be trusted as a resource for unbiased and accurate information on fisheries issues.
Our goal is to contribute to informed discussions that lead to the collaborative resolution of common problems by:
* Providing factual, reliable, and objective information that outlines all aspects of the issues, including the full range of perspectives held by fishery interest groups; and
* Cutting through the rhetoric and misinformation that often polarizes discussions between these groups.
We provide information in three different forms:
1. Informative background papers that detail the facts and key issues associated with each topic;
2. A series of opinion papers solicited from leaders in the field that present the range of views on key issues; and
3. An electronic dialogue center that highlights current developments in each topical area, as well as questions and comments advanced by others who are interested in the successful resolution of key issues associated with these topics.
Establish Rules of Engagement
The NFCC's goal is to foster and support communication that contributes to creative, collaborative solutions to contentious issues. Too often, competing interests find it difficult to have productive discussions. Many times it seems they cannot even agree on a common language, turning instead to rhetoric, negative reporting, and sharp-edged advocacy, all of which further polarize discourse and aggravate conflict.
We believe that making it easier for differing perspectives and opinions to be investigated in a safe and productive atmosphere will promote collaborative problem solving. To accomplish this, we are working to engage communication leaders on all sides of major issues to develop a useful level of agreement about improved standards of discourse. We are focusing on how communication strategy, outreach, tone, delivery, and style either contribute to or deter debate on specific issues.
We have adopted the principles of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to help lay the foundation for this long-term change in the rules of engagement. AI posits that the things that people think and talk about, and the stories they choose to tell, indicate the real truth behind what they believe. The AI process relies upon "appreciating the best of what is," "envisioning what might be," "discussing what should be," and "innovating what will be."
Facilitate and Mediate
The NFCC's goal is to help resolve contentious problems by providing fishery stakeholders a safe and trusted environment in which to discuss all sides of an issue based on factual and accurate information. We believe that finding creative ways to restore and sustain fisheries requires the involvement of all interests.
The NFCC provides facilitation services to fishermen, managers, scientists, and conservation advocates on specific fishery problems that lend themselves to mediation, negotiation, and creative problem solving. We bring stakeholders together with respect for all and bias towards none. We are unique in having no vested interest in the outcome other than being committed to a win-win scenario that improves the sustainability of both fishermen and the ecosystems they depend on.
We offer two types of facilitation services:
1. We provide direct facilitation of specific issues by providing a venue where opposing viewpoints can be aired and discussed in a non-combative atmosphere.
2. We provide an online discussion forum where the rules for participating in civil discourse are strict and clear to all. The forum allows those with divergent viewpoints to meet in a non-confrontational atmosphere to read about and discuss one another's views on contentious fisheries issues.
