Aquaculture-based tools to enhance fisheries resiliency during climate change

There are considerable geophysical and biological unknowns associated with climate change, however a preliminary vulnerability assessment of U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries suggests that some 1.7 million jobs and $200 billion in economic activity are at risk (Hare et al. 2016). These uncertainties should not slow or prevent forward thinking and the thoughtful examination and adaption of current fishery and aquaculture management tools and knowledge in an effort to prepare farmers, fishers, tribes, states, and federal agencies to respond to climate change.

This paper presents several aquaculture based tools: fisheries enhancement and restoration, ocean acidification mitigation, and socio-economic planning, that are proven approaches that can mitigate or manage for climate change effects on the Nation’s fisheries resources.