Opportunities for fisheries from climate change

Fishing and fish farming generate income and provide employment and food for millions of people living in poverty. The impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems and weather patterns threaten the fishing industry and people living near water. Those who can adapt, however, will benefit from the opportunities offered by climate change.

Researchfrom the WorldFish Center, in Malaysia, assesses thechallenges and opportunities climate change offers fishing and fish farmingcommunities.

Global warming caused by climate change affects aquaticecosystems and their fishery productivity. Fisheries and aquaculture – thecultivation of aquatic organisms – are threatened by many effects of globalwarming, including changes in ocean currents, rainfall changes that affect lakelevels and river flows, increasing frequency and severity of storms, andextreme floods and droughts. This makes living near water and catching orfarming fish an increasingly risky business.

Theglobal vulnerability of fisheries to climate change can be defined in terms of:

• sensitivity:the degree to which national economies are dependent on fisheries and thereforesensitive to any changes in the sector
• exposure:the nature and degree to which fisheries are exposed to climate change
• potentialimpact: sensitivity plus exposure, without taking into account plannedadaptation
• adaptivecapacity: the ability or capacity of a system to modify or change to cope withactual or expected changes in climate
• vulnerability: the potential impact of climate change plusadaptive capacity.

West andCentral African fisheries are most vulnerable to climate change. Many Africancountries are semi-arid with significant coastal or inland fisheries. Their societiesare highly dependent on fish in their diet, and their weak economies mean itwill be difficult to adapt. The failure of both fisheries and agriculture dueto climate change is likely to hit many African countries hard.

Whilemany of the impacts of climate change will severely undermine fisheries, somewill be beneficial. For example, with the right technologies and farmingsystems, farmers can cultivate fish in flooded and saline areas that are nolonger suitable for crops. Also, they can use the water and waste nutrientsstored in reservoirs and fish ponds during times of drought. This could help tosustain crops during periods of drought, thereby increasing the resilience offarming systems.

Theresearchers conclude:

• Policymakersneed to understand how to assist fisherfolk and farmers by creating a policyenvironment that facilitates adaptation to change.
• Itis important that fisheries research provides clear, practical advice about howto adapt and respond, and improves the governance, skills and resources ofrelevant fisheries institutions.
• Technologiesshould be adapted to exploit the possible benefits of climate change, forexample integrated aquaculture and agriculture for coastal fisherfolk andaffected crop farmers.