Researchers map climate change hotspots in the world’s oceans to allow better fisheries management and commercial fishing decisions.
Researchers have mapped climate change hotspots in the world’s oceans to allow better fisheries management and commercial fishing decisions.
Australian scientists led by Dr Gretta Pecl at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) have developed software that they believe can help fishery managers and the fishing industry adapt.
Hotspots where ocean temperatures are increasing much faster than the global average have been identified in all oceans.
An assessment was trialled in South Australia and it ranked 35 species based on economic value, ecological importance, and recreational significance, revealing the sensitivities of commercial species to climate change causes.
Dr Pecl said the database had been picked up and applied in Canada and the US.
She said the ocean hotspots were becoming natural laboratories to assess and review climate change impacts on fisheries.
“Climate change driven alterations in the distribution and abundance of marine species are being reported from all over the world, but particularly from these and other hotspots,” she said.
“Until now we have had limited capacity to quickly detect and predict these responses, even for comparatively well-studied commercial fish species.
“Because fisheries generate income, provide nutrition, and support coastal communities, early warning of potential changes to fish stocks are very important and can provide managers and industries with the best opportunity to adapt to these changes.”
2014 ABC