multi agency policy brief cop 15

8/4/2019 Multi Agency Policy Brief Cop 15

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Fisheries and Aquaculture

in a Changing Climate

Climate change impacts such as more requent and severe foods and droughts will aect

the ood and water security o many people. The impact o climate change on aquaticecosystems, sheries and aquaculture, however, is not as well known. This policy brie, a joint

partnership between several agencies, highlights this issue to ensure that decision makersand climate change negotiators consider aquatic ecosystems, sheries and aquaculture at

the UNFCCC COP-15 in Copenhagen, December 2009.

The build-up o carbon dioxideand other greenhouse gases in

the atmosphere [1] is changingseveral o the eatures o the

Earths climate, oceans, coastsand reshwater ecosystems that

aect sheries and aquaculture- air and sea surace

temperatures, rainall, sea level,acidity o the ocean, wind

patterns, and the intensity otropical cyclones.

Climate change is modiyingthe distribution and

productivity o marine andreshwater species and is already aecting biological processes and altering ood webs.The consequences or sustainability o aquatic ecosystems, isheries and aquaculture,

and the people that depend on them, are uncertain.

Fishers, sh armers and coastal inhabitants will bear the ull orce o these impacts through

less stable livelihoods, changes in the availability and quality o sh or ood, and rising risksto their health, saety and homes. Many sheries-dependent communities already live a

precarious and vulnerable existence because o poverty, lack o social services and essentialinrastructure. The ragility o these communities is urther undermined by overexploited

shery resources and degraded ecosystems. The implications o climate change or oodsecurity and livelihoods in small island states and many developing countries are proound.

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Investments are urgently needed to mitigate these growing threats and adapt to their

impacts - but also in building our knowledge o complex ocean and aquatic processes. Theoverarching requirement is to reduce global emissions o greenhouse gasses the primary

human driver o climate change. Fisheries and aquaculture need specic adaptation andmitigation measures that: 1) improve the management o sheries and aquaculture and the

integrity o aquatic ecosystems; 2) respond to the opportunities and threats to ood andlivelihood security due to climate change impacts, and 3) help the sheries and aquaculture

sector reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Healthy aquatic ecosystems contribute to food security and livelihoods

Fisheries and aquaculture contribute signicantly to ood security and livelihoods and

depend on healthy aquatic ecosystems - but these acts are oten unrecognized andundervalued.

or 3 billion people and at least 50% o animalprotein and minerals to 400 million people rom the

poorest countries.

depend, directly or indirectly, on sheries andaquaculture or their livelihoods.

production system, growing at 7% annually.

oods, with more than 37% [by volume] o worldproduction traded internationally.

Crucial Role of Oceans in Climate Change

Sustainable aquatic ecosystems - crucial for climate change adaptation

Healthy aquatic ecosystems are critical or production o wild sh, or some o the seed

and much o the eed or aquaculture. The productivity o coastal sheries is closely tied tothe health o coastal ecosystems, which provide ood, habitats and nursery areas or sh.

Estuaries, coral rees, mangroves and sea grass beds are particularly important. In reshwatersystems, ecosystem health and productivity is linked to water quality and fow and the

health o wetlands.


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Coastal ecosystems that support sheries also help protect communities rom the impacts onatural hazards and disasters [2]. Mangroves create barriers to destructive waves rom storms

and hold sediments in place within their root systems, reducing coastal erosion. Healthycoral rees, sea grass beds and wetlands provide similar benets. Climate change imperils the

structure and unction o these already stressed ecosystems.

oceans [3

Fisheries and aquaculture can support mitigation and adaptation

action is oten lacking. To build resilience to the efects o climate change and derive sustainable

benets, sheries and aquaculture managers needs to adopt and adhere to best practices such

Conduct or Responsible Fisheries. Thesepractices need to be integrated more

efectively with the management o river

basins, watersheds and coastal zones.

By ocusing on herbivorous species

aquaculture can provide nutritious ood

with a low carbon ootprint. Farming o

shellsh, such as oysters and mussels is

not only good business, but also helps

clean coastal waters, while culturing

aquatic plants helps remove wastes

rom polluted waters. In contrast to the

potential declines in agricultural yields in

many areas o the world, climate change

opens new opportunities or aquaculture as increasing numbers o species are cultured; as the sea

encroaches on coastal lands; as more dams and impoundments are constructed in river basins to

bufer changing rainall patterns; and as urban waste demands more innovative disposal.

Fisheries and aquaculture needs to be blended into national climate change adaptation

strategies. Without careul planning, aquatic ecosystems, sheries and aquaculture can

potentially suer as a result o adaptation measures applied by other sectors, such as increaseduse o dams and hydropower in catchments with high rainall, construction o articial coastaldeenses or marine wind arms.


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Mitigation solutions are not at all well known and require innovative approaches such as the

recent inclusion o mangrove conservation as eligible or REDD unding which demonstratesthe potential or catchment orest protection under REDD. Other approaches to explore

are linking vessel decommissioning with emissions reduction unding schemes, ndinginnovative but sae ways to

sequester carbon in aquaticecosystems, and developing

low-carbon aquacultureproduction systems.

Many capture sheries and

their supporting ecosystemshave been poorly managed

and the economic losses dueto overshing, pollution and

habitat loss are estimated to

exceed $50 billion per year[4]. Improved governance,innovative technologies and

more responsible practicescan generate increased and

sustainable benets rom sheries. Currently there are more ossil uel consuming shingvessels operating than necessary to catch the available sh resources eciently. Reducing

the feet overcapacity will not only help rebuild sh stocks and sustain global catches, butcan substantially reduce carbon emissions rom the sector.

Changing the investment climate

Increasing investment in sheries, aquaculture and aquatic ecosystems is an investment

distributing climatic shocks, whether rom storms, foods, coastal erosion or drought.

Investment in aquatic science is undamental investment in knowledge o aquaticecosystems; in the complex biological and chemical processes that determine the ocean

carbon cycle; and in knowledge o the currents and eddies that generate hurricanes. Equallyimportant is an understanding

o the ways that people copewith and adapt to living in a

changing climate, and howtheir institutions and livelihood

systems have evolved tomaintain resilience to uture

change.

Investment in awareness is

also essential rom the localcouncil considering a seawallto policy-makers considering

crucial or the millions who will

lose their arms to the sea andSPC

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need options and alternatives

or their own investmentsand those o their local

communities.

Vulnerability and riskassessment can inorm these

decisions; technologiesand education can oer

practices in natural resources

stewardship and governanceis a no regrets pathway,

generating current and uturebenets, increasing resilience

o aquatic ecosystems and

economies, and oten reducing emissions.

Implementing the aquatic agenda

Implementing adaptation and mitigation pathways or communities dependent on sheries,

aquaculture and aquatic ecosystems will need increased attention rom policy-makers andplanners. Sustainable and resilient aquatic ecosystems benet not only the shers and

coastal communities but also provide goods and services at national and global levels, orexample, through improved ood security and conservation o biodiversity.

For shers, sh armers and coastal peoples in the ront line o climate change, or example,low-lying developing countries and small island states, key actions should include securing

resources to:Fill critical gaps in knowledge to assess the vulnerability o aquatic ecosystems,

sheries and aquaculture to climate change.


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Strengthen human and institutional capacity to identiy the risks o climate change

to coastal communities and shing industries, and implement adaptation andmitigation measures.

Raise awareness that healthy and productive ecosystems, which arise rom well-managed sheries and aquaculture, and careul use o catchments and coastal

zones, are a cross-sectoral responsibility.

Resources

Paper No. 530.

Rodriguez, L.F., Tomanek, L. & Williams, S.L. 2006. The impacts o climate change in coastal

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/sherie_web_nal.pd

UNEP. 2009. The climate change act sheet. http://www.unep.org/Themes/climatechange/PDF/

actsheets_English.pd

References

http://www.ipcc.ch/

ipccreports/assessments-reports.htm

The Role o Environmental Management and Eco-Engineering in Disaster Risk

Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.

Science

The Sunken Billions.The Economic

Justifcation or Fisheries Reorm

Washington DC.

multi agency policy brief cop 15

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