ABSTRACT
Indigenous peoples’ power to act on marine industry development is an important part of ocean governance and social equity. While the power to act is influenced in different ways discursively, in structural terms it depends on the degree to which Indigenous rights are recognized and adhered to by states and industries. Two different cases bring to light how Indigenous agency is constrained and enabled in interaction with aquaculture development projects in coastal regions in Norway and New Zealand. We discuss what these differences consist of as experienced at the local level, and how Indigenous actors deal with them. Drawing on structural and discursive influences on Indigenous agency, we arrive at recommendations for enhancing this agency in development projects and ocean equity at large. These include the importance of Indigenous rights recognition and supporting the capacity of both Indigenous organizations and coastal communities to participate in marine development.
