Fischnetz: Assessing outcomes and impacts of a project at the interface of science and public policy

Long-term reviews are necessary to appreciate the full outcomes and impacts of the scientific, societal and policy perspectives of transdisciplinary projects. Here, thirteen years after its completion, we assess the significance of a five-year (1999-2004) Swiss research project. The Fischnetz project aimed to identify the causes of fish catch decline and propose remedial measures. Engineers and scientists from different disciplines collaborated with practitioners and policy makers to approach this real-world problem and develop and implement policy interventions. Fischnetz proved to be an exemplarily successful case of how transgressive and socially robust research can be conducted and result in high-quality scientific outputs and policy impacts. As a result of Fischnetz , The Swiss Federal Water Protection Act was fully revised, two by-laws were changed, and several parliamentary interventions were launched. Fischnetz produced 68 scientific ISI-papers with higher than average citations. In this report, the project setup and its overall outcomes were analysed via a Mode-2 knowledge production approach.