Fisheries and climate
The combination of warmer water, falling levels of oxygen and ocean acidification will lead to negative changes in marine ecosystems. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reached this conclusion in its Fifth Assessment Report.
The overall consequences of climate change for marine ecosystems include alterations in productivity, displacement of species, and changes in species diversity as well as in the structure and functioning of ecosystems. These changes will have different impacts on the various ocean regions.
Climate change is expected to result in a redistribution of the resources of the oceans. In tropical oceans a reduction in the catch potential is anticipated. This will mean greater food insecurity and a decline in revenues for fishing-dependent communities in the world’s tropical coasts.
Regular measurements of temperature and other physical and biological ocean conditions provide valuable information on the condition of and and changes in the ocean, as well as on how changes affect organisms in different levels of the food chain.
Such time series are important for understanding the ecological interaction and will facilitatedecisions about harvesting – both current decisions andestimates for coming years.
Good fisheries management represents the best possible adaptation to climate change.
Mangrove forest and coral reefs give extra protection
Coastal areas are especially vulnerable to strong gales and bad weather. Ocean currents and waves can erode soil in coastal areas.
Coral reefs and mangrove forests constitute physical barriers to coastal erosion. The tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004 showed that less damage was caused where the coral reef was intact.
In addition, both coral reefs and mangrove forests provide important habitats for fish and other organisms at the early life stage as well as later.
Norwegian aid for fisheries and climate
Bilateral
From 2009-2015 Norad funded the NansClim project, in which data collected through the “Nansen Programme” were used together with relevant regional data to identify and describe possible trends in ocean climate and corresponding changes in marine biodiversity and fisheries in the Benguela Current system.
The project was a collaboration between fisheries research institutions and universities in Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, and the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen. It is planned to continue this work within the framework of the second phase of the EAF Nansen Programme, with start-up in 2016.
Multilateral
Since 2007, Norad has provided support for the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) project, which is conducted in several countries in South and Southeast Asia through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The project came into being as a result of the ravages of the tsunami in 2004, when areas with physical barriers to extreme weather such as coral reefs and mangrove forests were shown to be better protected than other areas.
MFF involves local communities in the rehabilitation of coastal areas, improvement of living conditions and enhanced abilities to cope with extreme weather events. Support is provided to large and small projects.
Norad has also funded a project through Network for Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), with the aim of making artisanal fishing communities more resilient against the negative impacts of climate change. The project examined five different production systems in small-scale aquaculture in four Asian countries (India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam). Through dialogue with fish farmers, researchers and managers, tools methods were developed for better equipping them to withstand extremes of weather.
Testing of methods to be used in vulnerability assessments and methods for adaptation to climate change in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in different regions are funded through the FAO.