MAFAC Report: Best Approaches and Future Needs to Prepare Fishing Communities and Fishing-dependent Sectors for the Impacts of Climate Change

Impacts of climate change have typically focused on coastal community infrastructure threats due to sea level rise, storm surge, or coastal flooding. While there are many case studies of community planning processes to adapt to these types of physical threats, there are few examples of planning processes that address the unique impacts fishing communities will endure as productivity and distribution of target marine species change, affecting their economic livelihoods. Impacts can result from changing ocean conditions (e.g. warming waters); emergence of harmful algal blooms and bacterial or viral diseases; introduction or survival of invasive species; “dead zones” where fish and shellfish cannot live; ocean acidification; increased frequency and severity of storms; and reduced productivity of spawning and rearing waters. This report summarizes ideas and advice collected from interviews conducted with six U.S. fishing communities involved in community resilience projects to help other communities plan and engage in fishing community resilience planning.

This report is Appendix C of the greater MAFAC Resilience Report

More Information

• Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee