> usually the best done with education programs for the locals
Agreed, although that sort of outreach is surprisingly difficult because the people on both sides that you most want to interact with each other are usually the people least interested in doing so.
The point is still excellent though. People really hate being told what to do without being told why, or feeling like they had input in the process, so involving them is the best way to get people on board.
When we start letting anecdotal experiences override scientific knowledge and rational thinking, we are limited to more primitive modes of thought like group think or stereotypes. This includes even those with PhD's who often have a higher prestige of themselves due to said accomplishment, and may look down on those without. Education is key, I agree, and just cause someone has a PhD doesn't mean they should stop learning, or they are the end-all-be-all.
There has to be some middle ground between the two, some meeting place, (usually the best done with education programs for the locals), but most of the time, neither side in this debate is completely right or completely wrong. I don't know anything about oceans or bays so I'll just say I do see that type in the forest as well, the "nothing the scientists ever do is right" type, but that's not who I am defending or talking about in this case.