Talking salmon? Learning to tell the relational and critical stories

Why Salmon Matters

The journey of the wild, migrating salmon offers a unique lens through which to view the intricate relationship between nature and humanity in the Anthropocene. While the global expansion of fish farming – from Norway to Canada to Chile – is often lauded for its potential benefits to health, sustainability, and climate change mitigation, it also demands close scrutiny due to its significant impact on dwindling wild salmon populations. The project "talking salmon" explores this duality, recognizing farmed salmon as both a heralded "green solution" and a subject of intense debate.

A Holistic Look at Salmonids

Supported by the “OKEANOS – Stiftung für das Meer,” this project delves into all imaginable "green" and relational aspects of salmonoids. Salmon, whether as a species or an industry, is a central figure in stories encompassing both heroism and tragedy. Recognizing this, the project aimed to launch a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to equip students, journalists, NGOs, policymakers, and activists with ideas and tools to tell relational and critical ecological stories - about migrating fishes as well as all other species that connect ecosystems such as sea and land. 

In this perspective, indigenous narratives and stories become a crucial source to inspire the research and development process towards stories that reconnect us - with the living world, its species and finally ourselves in a situation of climate disaster and extinction of species. 

This initiative views salmon as a powerful case study for broader, holistic, and relational perspectives. It constructively examines "green salmon" and its connections to the comprehensive visions found in nature writing and the emerging field of climate journalism, fostering "hope, efficacy and agency" (Hackett et al., 2017). Crucially, the project also maintains a critical stance, exploring everything from luxury tourism centered around wild salmon in pristine Icelandic rivers to the persistent sea lice challenges in fish farming – hence the evocative question mark in "talking salmon".

Our Core Objectives & Approach

The project pursued four interconnected main objectives:

• Field Research & New Narratives: We conducted field trips to wild salmon rivers in Finland, Norway, Canada, and Germany. Our goal was to observe and interview local residents – from tourism operators to indigenous communities – to produce "relational stories" with new narratives that transcend the traditional human-nature divide. (Prof. Dr. Torsten Schäfer was responsible for the deliverables in this objective).

• Media Analysis & Case Studies: Through extensive media studies, we identified and compared narratives of "talking salmon" in Canadian and Norwegian media, resulting in a scientific paper on this comparison. Additionally, we selected compelling relational and/or critical stories from various countries to serve as case studies for a wider audience.

• Developing a Transformative MOOC: We developed a comprehensive MOOC, integrating all the resources gathered during the first two phases. The primary aim was to demonstrate innovative ways and forms of relational and critical storytelling tailored for diverse target groups.

• Empowering Storytellers: Building on our research and in preparation for the MOOC, we showcased practical teaching methods. These methods are designed to empower stakeholders – including journalists, activists, and policymakers – to develop their own powerful "talking salmon" stories. The MOOC will be integrated into academic courses at both Darmstadt and OsloMet.

Looking Ahead: Fostering Sustainable Communication

The "Talking Salmon" project successfully assembled rich resources and developed a unique educational platform. By combining in-depth field research with critical media analysis and innovative teaching methods, we aimed to foster a more nuanced and impactful approach to sustainability communication. The MOOC stands as a key outcome, providing valuable tools for anyone looking to engage with the complex and urgent stories of our planet's wild and farmed salmon.