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.

Research from the WorldFish Center, in Malaysia, assesses the challenges and opportunities climate change offers fishing and fish farming communities.

Global warming caused by climate change affects aquatic ecosystems and their fishery productivity. Fisheries and aquaculture – the cultivation of aquatic organisms – are threatened by many effects of global warming, including changes in ocean currents, rainfall changes that affect lake levels and river flows, increasing frequency and severity of storms, and extreme floods and droughts. This makes living near water and catching or farming fish an increasingly risky business.

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

• sensitivity: the degree to which national economies are dependent on fisheries and therefore sensitive to any changes in the sector
• exposure: the nature and degree to which fisheries are exposed to climate change
• potential impact: sensitivity plus exposure, without taking into account planned adaptation
• adaptive capacity: the ability or capacity of a system to modify or change to cope with actual or expected changes in climate
• vulnerability: the potential impact of climate change plus adaptive capacity.

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

While many of the impacts of climate change will severely undermine fisheries, some will be beneficial. For example, with the right technologies and farming systems, farmers can cultivate fish in flooded and saline areas that are no longer suitable for crops. Also, they can use the water and waste nutrients stored in reservoirs and fish ponds during times of drought. This could help to sustain crops during periods of drought, thereby increasing the resilience of farming systems.

The researchers conclude:

• Policymakers need to understand how to assist fisherfolk and farmers by creating a policy environment that facilitates adaptation to change.
• It is important that fisheries research provides clear, practical advice about how to adapt and respond, and improves the governance, skills and resources of relevant fisheries institutions.
• Technologies should be adapted to exploit the possible benefits of climate change, for example integrated aquaculture and agriculture for coastal fisherfolk and affected crop farmers.

Source(s):
‘Fisheries and Aquaculture Can Provide Solutions to Cope With Climate Change’, The WorldFish Center Issues Brief 1701, The WorldFish Center: Penang, 2007 (PDF) Full document.

id21 Research Highlight: 27 April 2008

Further Information:
The WorldFish Center
PO Box 500
GPO10670 Penang
Malaysia

Tel: +60 46261606
Fax: +60 46265530
Contact the contributor: worldfishcenter@cgiar.org

The WorldFish Center, Malaysia

Other related links:
‘The importance of fisheries for development’, id21 insights 65

‘Climate change and cities’, id21 insights 71

‘Managing droughts instead of floods in Viet Nam’

‘Feeding poor people while the climate changes’

See id21’s links for fisheries