Implications of climate change for Australian fisheries and aquaculture: a preliminary assessment

This review finds that there are likely to be significant climate change impacts on the biological, economic, and social aspects of Australian fisheries and that there is little consolidated knowledge of the potential impacts of climate change. Both positive and negative impacts are expected, and impacts will vary according to changes in the regional environment: south-east fisheries are most likely to be affected by changes in water temperature, northern fisheries by changes in precipitation, and western fisheries by changes in the Leeuwin Current. There may be new opportunities for some wild fisheries where tropical species shift southward. There will also be many challenges, such as that faced by the Tasmanian salmon aquaculture industry due to Atlantic salmon being cultivated close to their upper thermal limits of optimal growth. Nevertheless, the report also highlights that there is potential for adaptation measures to be employed by the industry. The report also notes the need for fisheries and aquaculture management policies to better integrate the effects of climate variability and climate change in establishing harvest levels and developing future strategies. This will enhance the resilience of marine biodiversity and the adaptive capacity of the fisheries and aquaculture industries

Fostering global science networks in a Post-COVID-19 world

To restrict the spread of COVID-19 disease, regional and national governments have implemented a range of communitybased measures. Physical distancing has closed offices and laboratories, canceled fieldwork and research cruises, and led to scientific productivity declines, notably of female scientists (Staniscuaski et al., 2020; Viglione, 2020; Vincent-Lamarr et al., 2020.) The cessation of international travel was an early measure that looks like it may be continuing for some time.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Funding climate adaptation strategies with climate derivatives

Climate adaptation requires large capital investments that could be provided not only by traditional sources like governments and banks, but also by derivatives markets. Such markets would allow two parties with different tolerances and expectations about climate risks to transact for their mutual benefit and, in so doing, finance climate adaptation. Here we calculate the price of a derivative called a European put option, based on future sea surface temperature (SST) in Tasmania, Australia, with an 18 °C strike threshold. This price represents a quantifiable indicator of climate risk, and forms the basis for aquaculture industries exposed to the risk of higher SST to finance adaptation strategies through the sale of derivative contracts. Such contracts provide a real incentive to parties with different climate outlooks, or risk exposure to take a market assessment of climate change.Support for this research came from the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship, Enabling Adaptation Pathways project

Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Australian Fisheries and Associated Sectors By 2030

This study investigates the economic impact to fisheries and associated sectors if wild fisheries continue operating to 2030 without considering the effects of climate change. Estimates of climate change impacts in Australian fisheries and their associated probability distributions were derived from the literature and expert consultations. An Input- Output model of the Australian economy was used to determine the flow-on effects of these impacts. Monte Carlo simulations were undertaken on the basis of the associated uncertainties to climate change predictions. The results present a baseline for evaluating the benefits of future climate change adaptations. The results, based upon the best available biological projections, indicate most Australian fisheries considered may in fact see economic benefit as a result of climate change by 2030. Adaptation strategies should consider minimising losses and maximizing the benefits that could be brought by climate change

Linking adaptation science to action to build food secure Pacific Island communities

Climate change is a major threat to food security in Pacific Island countries, with declines in food production and increasing variability in food supplies already evident across the region. Such impacts have already led to observed consequences for human health, safety and economic prosperity. Enhancing the adaptive capacity of Pacific Island communities is one way to reduce vulnerability and is underpinned by the extent to which people can access, understand and use new knowledge to inform their decision-making processes. However, effective engagement of Pacific Island communities in climate adaption remains variable and is an ongoing and significant challenge. Here, we use a qualitative research approach to identify the impediments to engaging Pacific Island communities in the adaptations needed to safeguard food security. The main barriers include cultural differences between western science and cultural knowledge, a lack of trust among local communities and external scientists, inappropriate governance structures, and a lack of political and technical support. We identify the importance of adaptation science, local social networks, key actors (i.e., influential and trusted individuals), and relevant forms of knowledge exchange as being critical to overcoming these barriers. We also identify the importance of co-ordination with existing on-ground activities to effectively leverage, as opposed to duplicating, capacity

The responses of brown macroalgae to environmental change from local to global scales: direct versus ecologically mediated effects

In many temperate regions, brown macroalgae fulfil essential ecosystem services such as the provision of structure, the fixation of nutrients and carbon, and the production of biomass and oxygen. Their populations in many regions around the globe have declined and/or spatially shifted in recent decades. In this review we highlight the potential global and regional drives of these changes, describe the status of regionally particularly important brown macroalgal species, and describe the capacity of interactions among abiotic and biotic factors to amplify or buffer environmental pressure on brown macroalgae. We conclude with a consideration of possible management and restoration measures

Ocean warming hotspots provide early warning laboratories for climate change impacts

A growing literature describes a wide range of negative impacts of climate change on marine resources and the people and communities they support, including species range changes, changes in productivity of fisheries and declines in economic performance (Doney et al. 2012; Poloczanska et al. 2013). These impacts, many of which are projected to increase in future, are compounded by growing pressures on marine resources (Halpern et al. 2008; Maxwell et al. 2013). An estimated 260 million people are involved directly or indirectly in global marine fisheries (Teh and Sumaila 2013) with many of the resources for capture fisheries already fully (&57 % in 2009) or over exploited (30 %) (FAO 2012). Nevertheless, production of marine resources will need to increase to accommodate the demands of a growing population, and the impacts of climate change on food security will need to be minimised (FAO 2009). Identifying opportunities and threats, and developing adaptation options in response to climate change impacts in the marine realm, is essential for optimising the benefits that society can continue to derive from the goods and services provided by marine resources

Categorizing and naming marine heatwaves

Considerable attention has been directed at understanding the conse-quences and impacts of long-term anthropogenic climate change. Discrete, climati-cally extreme events such as cyclones, floods, and heatwaves can also significantly affect regional environments and species, including humans. Climate change is expected to intensify these events and thus exacerbate their effects. Climatic extremes also occur in the ocean, and recent decades have seen many high-impact marine heatwaves (MHWs)—anomalously warm water events that may last many months and extend over thousands of square kilometers. A range of biological, economic, and political impacts have been associated with the more intense MHWs, and measuring the sever-ity of these phenomena is becoming more important. Progress in understanding and public awareness will be facilitated by consistent description of these events. Here, we propose a detailed categorization scheme for MHWs that builds on a recently published classification, combining elements from schemes that describe atmospheric heatwaves and hurricanes. Category I, II, III, and IV MHWs are defined based on the degree to which temperatures exceed the local climatology and illustrated for 10 MHWs. While there is a long-term increase in the occurrence frequency of all MHW categories, the largest trend is a 24% increase in the area of the ocean where strong (Category II) MHWs occur. Use of this scheme can help explain why biological impacts associated with different MHWs can vary widely and provides a consistent way to compare events. We also propose a simple naming convention based on geography and year that would further enhance scientific and public awareness of these marine events