The significant impacts of past changes in climate on marine and freshwater ecosystems indicate that future climate change will impact Canadian fisheries. Fish and other aquatic species are sensitive to environmental conditions and will respond to changes in air and water temperature, precipitation, water circulation, ice cover, and other climatically-controlled factors. We can expect to see changes in species distributions, fish growth, the susceptibility of fish to disease, and competitive interactions between species. As a result, sustainable harvests of fish will be impacted across the country. However, isolating the impacts of climate change from other stresses affecting fisheries is difficult. Furthermore, even direct associations between such variables as water temperature and fish are often complex in nature.

Adaptation will be required to reduce the vulnerability of the fisheries sector. Climate change can be incorporated into fisheries risk management, even as researchers and stakeholders continue to improve our understanding of aquatic ecosystems and their response to change. Given present uncertainties about the nature of future climate changes, emphasis should be placed on management and conservation activities that promote resource sustainability and habitat preservation, and help to ensure a range of healthy sub-populations of fish species over wide areas. Improving the accessibility and availability of information through increased research and communication, and enhancing the flexibility and resilience of the sector are also important components of addressing climate change.