Ethics is one of those subjects that is interesting to talk about in the hypothetical sense, but once an ethical concern is raised, it can be difficult to work around that concern, which could jeopardize an entire research project. My ethnographic proposal to work with the oyster harvesters of Apalachicola Bay raises at least of couple of ethical concerns.
The first concern revolves around completely shutting off the Bay to oyster harvesting to allow the oysters to fully replenish. At issue here is the ethicality of denying a person or family the ability to earn a living. Can the Bay justifiably be closed? On one hand, yes, it can, because if it is not, oyster harvesters will only be able to work in the Bay for a short while longer as the oyster population continues to decline. On the other hand, no, it is not ethical to close the Bay due to the potential immediate loss of a large portion of a individual’s or family’s yearly income. Do scientists have the authority to tell harvesters that they can’t earn money off the oysters? Does the state government have the authority to do that?
A second concern revolves around the ethics of leaving the Bay open to oyster harvesting. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, allowing full harvests to be brought to market will likely destroy the oyster population before it can replenish. If the Bay is left open, it could mean that the livelihoods of many more oyster harvesters will be put in jeopardy in a shorter time period. If a small number of harvesters are allowed to bring large oyster catches to market, it removes the possibility for other harvesters to earn money from the oysters. Eventually, few or possibly no harvesters would be able to catch enough oysters to justify the practice of oyster harvesting. Do a small number of oyster harvesters have the right to ruin the livelihoods of other harvesters?
As I work to carry this project into action, these are certainly concerns that will be raised along with a host of other potential ethical issues. However, balancing the immediate loss of personal or family income with the potential destruction of the Bay’s ecology is certainly a prominent concern as this issue is studied and debated.