Navigating a complex policy system—Explaining local divergences in Swedish fish stocking policy

Swedish fish stocking policy constitutes an example of the disparate challenges associated with adaptive management theory and the realization thereof. The vast substantial and institutional uncertainties of the policy subsystem have previously been identified as variables that complicate the realization of adaptive policy making. The aim of this paper is to address and tentatively explain differences in regards to how these uncertainties are handled. What regional variances in Swedish fish stocking policy can be distinguished and how can these variations be explained? The empirical analysis shows that Swedish fish stocking policy consists of a wide array of different regional policies. These regional variations are explained by differences in existing implementation resources, policy beliefs and readings of formal regulations. Policy makers can decrease these divergences in two ways; they can either change formal regulations or influence available implementation resources. Both management approaches might have positive as well as negative effects on the subsystem's adaptability.