Managing for Climate Resilient Fisheries: Applications to the Southern Ocean
Journal Article
Overview
abstract
Climate change is having profound effects on populations of fished species and the ecosystems they depend on. Global projections suggest this trend will continue with declines in marine biomass and fishing yields. Given the cumulative threats faced by fisheries, scientists have advocated for fishery management to be redesigned through the lens of climate resiliency. We performed a literature review towards identifying best practices for fisheries management under climate change. We then assessed progress on these climate resilient practices by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the multi-national body responsible for the Southern Ocean as part of the Antarctic Treaty system. Across the literature, ecosystem based management was advocated as a tool for climate resilience, as was the application of climate models, dynamic stock assessments and marine protected areas. However, the literature suggested that only slight progress has been made towards integrating climate change management tools into policy across the world's fisheries, including in the Southern Ocean. CCAMLR sits in a unique position where its legal Convention mandates an ecosystem-based precautionary approach for fisheries management, and many member states have been pushing climate initiatives. Here we seek to provide a comprehensive analysis of the tools needed to facilitate the transition to climate resilient fisheries, and ultimately apply those tools to CCAMLR’s management practices, noting progress, gaps, and opportunities for improvement and implementation. We show that despite some efforts by some CCAMLR Members towards initiating climate resilient practices, CCAMLR has made limited progress on moving climate initiatives forward, and identify geopolitical challenges to progress. The recent IPCC reports underscore the increasing urgency to address climate change in the Southern Ocean. While climate change remains a global issue which must be addressed on a global scale, CCAMLR ultimately holds the responsibility for adaptively managing Southern Ocean marine living resources towards climate resilience.
