"Sustainable fisheries management will require timely and accurate scientific information on the environmental conditions that affect fish stocks and institutional flexibility to respond quickly to such information."⁽⁹⁰⁾

While the adaptive capacity of the Canadian fisheries sector with respect to climate change is generally poorly understood,⁽²⁾ there is growing recognition of the need to anticipate and prepare for potential changes, and increased realization that present-day decisions will affect future vulnerabilities. There are many different adaptation options available to the fisheries sector, most of which are modelled on actions that were taken in response to non-climate stresses on the sector in the past.⁽¹³⁾

While many stakeholders in the fisheries sector appear concerned about climate change, they tend to be generally optimistic regarding their adaptation capabilities.^{(51, 91)} However, this presumes that changes are gradual and predictable, which may not be the case. A major challenge for regulators, fishers and other stakeholders will be adjusting their policies and practices in an appropriate and timely manner to deal with shifts in fish species distribution and relative abundance in response to climate change.

There is evidence that marine ecosystems are relatively resilient to changes in the environment,⁽⁸⁾ and that freshwater fish will adjust their habitat and range to deal with changes in temperature regime.⁽⁷⁰⁾ However, there are concerns that the rate of future climate change may overwhelm the ability of natural systems to adapt.⁽⁶³⁾ In addition, species can differ greatly in their adaptive capacity. For example, mobile species, such as fish, swimming crabs and shrimp, should be able to quickly migrate to more suitable habitat in response to higher temperatures, whereas other, less mobile species like clams and oysters will require more time.⁽⁸⁾ Life-cycle characteristics may also affect the resilience of different fish species. Species with longer life spans are better able to persist through conditions that are less favourable for reproduction,⁽⁹²⁾ whereas species with higher reproductive rates and faster maturity rates are more likely to recover from prolonged population decline.⁽⁹³⁾

Facilitating Adaptation

Fisheries managers and others can help enhance the adaptive capacity of both fish species and the fisheries sector by reducing non-climatic stresses on fish populations, such as pollution, fishing pressures and habitat degradation.⁽⁹⁴⁾ Maintaining genetic and age diversity in fish sub-populations is also important. These are considered 'no-regrets' adaptation options, which will benefit fisheries irrespective of climate change.

The ability to identify where changes are occurring is particularly important with respect to adjusting guidelines for the allowable sustainable catch of various fish species. Monitoring for climate-induced changes will help fishery managers and governments to determine which species may require enhanced protection, and which species are appropriate for fishing. For example, as lake temperatures increase in certain Ontario lakes, warm-water fish may become more suited to angling than cold-water fish (see Box 5). To enhance and protect fish habitat along marine coasts, some regions could be designated as marine protected areas.⁽⁹⁵⁾ To be most effective, future changes in climate must be considered when designating such areas.

BOX 5: Adapting sport fishing to climate change⁽⁹⁶⁾

Sport fishing is a popular activity that attracts tourists and generates significant revenues in many parts of Canada. Increased water temperatures may adversely affect certain populations of sport fish, and cause significant changes in sustained yield (see figure below). To address this issue within Ontario, Shuter et al. (2001) have suggested that fisheries managers look for trade-off options, between cold, cool, and warm water fishery components. For instance, in regions where cold-water species, such as brook trout, are expected to decline, fisheries managers could shift recreational fishing to warm-water species such as perch, which is expected to benefit from climate warming. This adaptation option may increase the resilience of the sport fishing industry, and reduce any potential losses resulting from climate change. Relative changes in maximum sustained yield of walleye in Ontario under a 2xCO2 climate change scenario. Note the general decrease in maximum sustained yield in the south of the province, and increase in the central and northern regions.

Regulatory regimes can also significantly affect the ability of fishers to adapt to changing conditions. At present, commercial licenses provide fishers with the right to catch specific species, in specific waters. In order to shift to a different species, or a different location, approval would be required, as may a new fishing license. Current regulatory regimes may therefore need to be re-evaluated in the context of climate change, and adjusted accordingly.

Many small communities are highly reliant on fisheries, and could be greatly affected by changes in sustainable harvests induced by climate change. A conservation-oriented approach to fisheries management (e.g., reference 50, 97) considers biological and environmental factors, as well as social and economic values,⁽⁹⁷⁾ and aims to actively involve fishers and other stakeholders. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is currently developing a policy framework through the Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review (AFPR), based on these principles.

Aquaculture

The aquaculture industry is generally confident of its ability to adapt to changing conditions, and believes that it may be able to benefit from longer growing seasons and increased harvest areas.⁽⁹⁸⁾ Proposed adaptation strategies related to climate change include introducing closed farming systems, and using excess tanker ship capacity to raise fish in an isolated, controlled environment.⁽⁹⁸⁾

There are, however, environmental and social considerations that may limit the ability of the aquaculture industry to respond rapidly to climate change (e.g., see references 18, 99). Aquaculture is strictly regulated, meaning that it is generally neither simple nor efficient for existing operations to move to new locations or change the type of fish being farmed. As a result there is a need to emphasize planned, anticipatory adaptation responses to climate change. The fact that the aquaculture industry on the Pacific coast has expressed interest in having new locations selected and pre-approved for various climate change scenarios⁽⁹⁸⁾ is an example that this need has been recognized.

Research and Communication

To enhance the adaptive capacity of the fisheries sector, there is a need to increase stakeholder participation in decision making, improve the quality of information available to the public, create easily accessible data sets, and increase the lines of communication between industry, government, scientific researchers, coastal communities and the general public.⁽²⁾ The Internet has been suggested as an appropriate tool for the dissemination of information,⁽⁶⁰⁾ although more conventional methods, such as workshops and town meetings, may also be appropriate.

Improved communication will also help facilitate effective research collaborations between scientists, government, traditional resource users and the general public.⁽⁶⁰⁾ Research collaborations can address regional issues (see Box 6), or national or international concerns.⁽¹⁰⁰⁾ For these collaborations to be successful, and for research to influence future directions and decisions, stakeholders must be included throughout the research process. A challenge to both researchers and policy-makers is ensuring that science results are effectively incorporated into the policy-making process (e.g., reference 101).

BOX 6: Facilitating collaborations in the Boreal shield region ⁽¹⁰²⁾

Aquatic research in the Boreal shield ecozone has been ongoing for the past several decades. Indeed, there are a number of world-class research sites with past and current activities in this region. Therefore, there is a wealth of data, information and knowledge available to apply to climate change research. To best capitalize on this opportunity, communication and collaborations between the research sites are necessary. Arnott et al. (2001) organized a workshop though which they developed a framework for coordinating studies on climate change impacts, and helped establish strong linkages between researchers. Since the workshop, a network coordinating institute has been established and several collaborative projects have been initiated. Photo courtesy of NRCan Photo Database

Modelling of marine ecosystems is still a relatively new area of research, and future studies could contribute significantly to the development of appropriate adaptation strategies. Recommendations for improving modelling studies include research to better define the linkages between species and the environment, and improving cooperation between researchers from different disciplines.⁽¹⁵⁾ Incorporating the local knowledge of fishers and fishery managers is also important.⁽¹⁴⁾