Fixing marine governance in Fiji? The new scalar narrative of ecosystem-based management

► There is a widespread trend to scale up marine management and conservation. ► We examine politics of the transition from management at community scales to large scales in Fiji. ► Management at community and ecoregional scales is supported by distinct scalar narratives. ► New scalar narratives and the policies they support do not displace old narratives but rather they are informed, shaped by, and draw power from what is already in place. ► Scalar narratives can discursively sideline contentious political issues, which can refocus debates away from pro-people versus pro-nature dichotomies.