Highlighting the structural complexity of Europe’s leading seafood processing hub: Building a social-ecological network with actor-network theory

Abstract The seafood sector faces multiple challenges that threaten its contribution to food security. For developing effective governance strategies in response to those transformations, this study proposes a theoretical framework grounded in Actor-Network Theory (ANT), applied to the construction of a Social-Ecological Network (SEN), to better understand the structural complexity of the seafood sector SES in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Europe’s leading seafood processing hub. Through semi-structured interviews, direct observations, and participatory workshops, we identified 227 nodes and 595 links across environmental, economic, productive, and social categories framing the seafood sector. The descriptive analysis of the network reveals that operational production entities constitute the network’s core, shaping how environmental resources, economic support, and social regulations are organized. By making visible the diversity of components, their multi-layer interactions, and interdependencies within this system, our approach provides decision-makers with evidence-based insights for developing strategies that align with the seafood sector’s systemic reality and sustainability challenges.