WASHINGTON – A new study from Ocean Conservancy scientists and policy experts published today in Frontiers in Marine Science outlines immediate solutions to help protect fishing communities from the growing threats of climate change.  

The research found that management actions can be taken now, using existing legal authorities and already-available data and techniques, to improve the resilience of fish populations and fishing communities to the growing impacts of climate change. In this assessment of approaches,  the study found nearly half of these could be taken in the next one to two years, and all of them could be taken within existing regulatory framework. The study comes on the heels of an increasing number of fishery disasters caused by climate change, as well as historic cuts to America’s key agency for the science and management of marine fisheries, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“Our fishery management isn’t adapting fast enough to changes already being felt on the ground,” said Michael Drexler, a fishery scientist at Ocean Conservancy and lead author on the study.  “The reality is that phenomena like marine heatwaves, shifting fish populations and more extreme weather are all happening today, and fishing communities across the country are bearing the brunt of these impacts. If we don’t act, we are leaving fishing communities at risk now and closing the door for future adaptation options for fishing communities and ecosystems. We don’t have time to waste, and this study provides us with tangible steps that can be taken today to shore up fisheries for the short and long term.”

The study examined a core set of 60 different proposed actions for implementing climate ready fisheries. These actions were split into three categories: those that focused directly on immediate impacts from climate change, like addressing shifting stocks; those that focused on supporting overall fish stock resilience as a way to improve climate resilience, like ending overfishing; and those that were both directly responsive to climate impacts and resilience-focused, like the increased use of climate and ecosystem information in all aspects of management. The broad range of actions indicates that there are many opportunities to take steps towards climate-readiness without waiting to have new scientific research in hand; and many of these offer the potential to improve fishery and management outcomes regardless of future climate changes. 

All of the actions examined were found to be attainable by the Regional Fishery Management Councils through existing regulatory frameworks, and many use existing tools already available to fishery managers. However, deep cuts to NOAA, which approves and implements fishery management plans developed regionally and provides much of the science and observing that underpin the fishery management system, may make it more challenging for regional councils to put near-term approaches in place to address climate change.

“Fishing communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and we need to be doing more, not less to help protect them,” said Meredith Moore, director of fish conservation at Ocean Conservancy.  “What this paper shows is that there are immediate, low-lift steps that can be taken now to do just that. In partnership with NOAA, fishery management councils have the power to act to help protect the livelihood of generations to come; but if Congress and the Administration’s proposed cuts to NOAA come to pass, we’ll be looking at a darker future for America’s fisheries and all of us who depend on them.” 

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Read the paper here.

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