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Many activities associated with the expanding blue economy are characterised by high complexity, uncertainty, and significant potential for environmental impacts. In a shared marine environment, these conditions can lead to conflict, with increasingly polarised debate ultimately hindering new development. Key communication determinants of this conflict include: (i) the level of interest in the debate; (ii) the strength of attitudes; (iii) the certainty of attitudes; (iv) the level of trust between stakeholder groups; and (v) gaps in information. Using the Australian salmon industry as an exemplar of aquaculture conflict, we have run a stakeholder survey to measure each of these determinants. Implications for building effective communication strategies have been explored, addressing systemic issues such as legitimacy and credibility of information sources, message discrepancy, and negation of misinformation. The findings …