A Vulnerability Assessment of Fish and Invertebrates to Climate Change on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf

Climate change and decadal variability are impacting marine fish and invertebrate species worldwide and these impacts will continue for the foreseeable future. Quantitative approaches have been developed to examine climate impacts on productivity, abundance, and distribution of various marine fish and invertebrate species. However, it is difficult to apply these approaches to large numbers of species owing to the lack of mechanistic understanding sufficient for quantitative analyses, as well as the lack of scientific infrastructure to support these more detailed studies. Vulnerability assessments provide a framework for evaluating climate impacts over a broad range of species with existing information. These methods combine the exposure of a species to a stressor (climate change and decadal variability) and the sensitivity of species to the stressor. These two components are then combined to estimate an overall vulnerability. Quantitative data are used when available, but qualitative information and expert opinion are used when quantitative data is lacking. Here we conduct a climate vulnerability assessment on 82 fish and invertebrate species in the Northeast U.S. Shelf including exploited, forage, and protected species. We define climate vulnerability as the extent to which abundance or productivity of a species in the region could be impacted by climate change and decadal variability. We find that the overall climate vulnerability is high to very high for approximately half the species assessed; diadromous and benthic invertebrate species exhibit the greatest vulnerability. In addition, the majority of species included in the assessment have a high potential for a change in distribution in response to projected changes in climate. Negative effects of climate change are expected for approximately half of the species assessed, but some species are expected to be positively affected (e.g., increase in productivity or move into the region). These results will inform research and management activities related to understanding and adapting marine fisheries management and conservation to climate change and decadal variability

Estimation of discard mortality of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in Alaska longline fisheries

Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) are often caught incidentally in longline fisheries and discarded, but the extent of mortality after release is unknown, which creates uncertainty for estimates of total mortality. We analyzed data from 10,427 fish that were tagged in research surveys and recovered in surveys and commercial fisheries up to 19 years later and found a decrease in recapture rates for fish originally captured at shallower depths (210–319 m) during the study, sustaining severe hooking injuries, and sustaining amphipod predation injuries. The overall estimated discard mortality rate was 11.71%. This estimate is based on an assumed survival rate of 96.5% for fish with minor hooking injuries and the observed recapture rates for sablefish at each level of severity of hook injury. This estimate may be lower than what actually occurs in commercial fisheries because fish are likely not handled as carefully as those in our study. Comparing our results with data on the relative occurrence of the severity of hooking injuries in longline fisheries may lead to more accurate accounting of total mortality attributable to fishing and to improved management of this species

Predefined drop-down menu of COVID-19 related diagnoses allocated to the hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 category.

Predefined drop-down menu of COVID-19 related diagnoses allocated to the hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 category.</p

Factors associated with ventilation, critical care admission or mortality among 1,651 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, according to the CDC admission classification.

OR = odds ratio; ICU = intensive care unit; CI = confidence interval. a active malignant neoplasm, transplant recipient, moderate/severe liver disease. Hospital site was included as a fixed effect in this model. For simplicity, site estimates were excluded from the table. (DOCX)</p

Contributors to the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network.

Contributors to the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network.</p

Probability of most common uncertain discharge diagnoses being categorized primarily for COVID-19.

The x-axis depicts the probability of being adjudicated by clinicians as an admission primarily for COVID-19 among all cases with the same primary discharge diagnosis that were abstracted from the medical record. (DOCX)</p

The most common primary discharge diagnoses among discordant cases when comparing the clinical decision and the Massachusetts method of classification.

The most common primary discharge diagnoses among discordant cases when comparing the clinical decision and the Massachusetts method of classification.</p

Hospital sites and dates of consecutive data entry.

Hospital sites and dates of consecutive data entry.</p