Signe Annie Sønvisen

Signe Annie Sønvisen is an Associate Professor at the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, where she conducts interdisciplinary research on fisheries and aquaculture management, recruitment, and socio-economic governance. She is a member of the Marine Resource Management and Development (MARA) research group and actively contributes to national and international projects on sustainable marine development.

• PhD: Coastal Communities and Employment Systems? Networks and Communities in Change (UiT, 2007–2013)
• MSc: International Fisheries Management (NCFS/UoT, 2001–2003)
• BSc: Economics and Environmental Studies (University of Victoria, Canada, 1991–1996)

Her research focuses on fisheries and aquaculture governance, workforce recruitment, digitalization, and sustainability challenges in marine industries. She examines institutional dynamics, safety, and social acceptance in aquaculture, with a strong emphasis on qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Her work often explores how policy, innovation, and demographic shifts affect coastal communities.

Her recent publications highlight trends in digital transformation, data sharing, governance complexity, and the social dimensions of aquaculture innovation. She investigates the balance between efficiency and heterogeneity in aquaculture technology, the collapse of mobile salmon farming, and the health and safety impacts of fisheries management on fishers.

• Researcher and project participant in CompareIT, Auroral, Climate change and value chains in the Arctic
• Work package leader in DIVA and Balance
• Project leader for SMADI – Sustainable Marine Aquaculture Development in Indonesia
• Project worker in HermChain and GearTrack

She teaches Statistics and Method for Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (FSK-1121) and Marine Spatial Planning (SVF-3555), and has presented at numerous international conferences including MARE and ONS. She serves as a reviewer for journals such as Marine Policy, ICES Journal, and Sociologia Ruralis. She is also deputy leader of the Fjord og Kyst research program at Fram Centre and a member of the editorial board for Økonomisk fiskeriforskning.