Fisheries

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that global sea level may increase 50 cm by 2100 due to warming of the oceans, melting of glaciers, and other effects.

The world’s climate is changing and is doing so at an unprecedented rate. The principal cause is human activity. Without action, the long-term consequences will be dramatic. On these facts, the vast majority of the world’s leading climate scientists are in agreement.

The effects will be more marked in Canada than in many other countries because of our northern latitude. The impact on our agricultural economy, our fish stocks, our water supplies and many other aspects of our current way of life could be significant.

Effect of Water Temperature on West Coast Sockeye Salmon

A warmer climate could pose problems for salmon as they move upriver to spawn. Salmon stop eating and rely on stored fat when they enter fresh water for the swim upstream. Salmon are cold-blooded - their metabolism is tied to the temperature of the surrounding water. If the water is too warm, salmon use up their energy stores and are unable to reach their spawning grounds. Warmer waters also increase the risk of bacterial and fungal infections in salmon and other marine life. Salmon spend much of their life in the ocean where climate change will affect the sustainability of stocks in ways that cannot yet be forecasted. In addition, there is much uncertainty about the impacts of global climate change on marine eco-systems in general.

Sockeye Salmon are affected by the river water temperature that they encounter as they return to their natal streams to spawn.

East Coast Fish are Vulnerable Too

Marine life, on the East Coast of North America, is just as vulnerable to climate change as marine life on the West Coast.

The bottom line is that climate change could have a significant impact on the distribution of fish populations. This has major implications in terms of the need for adaptation of the fishing industry.

There is real risk that climate change could result in an increase in the frequency and magnitude of storm surge events, as a result of changes to the distribution of extreme weather events, coupled with increasing sea levels. Communities on all three oceans are vulnerable.

Threatened Areas

Placentia, Newfoundland was flooded by storm surges until a dyke and a sea wall were built. With rising sea level, the defences will have to be strengthened.

When a storm hit Yarmouth in February 1976, much of the town was flooded, leaving cars and buses stranded; many buildings were destroyed. Yarmouth, like many other communities on Atlantic Canada, faces worse flooding in the future.

Today, the town of Truro, Nova Scotia would be flooded by a storm surge similar to the Saxby Tide of 1869; however, sea level has risen 44 cm since 1869, and estimates suggest it will increase by 70 cm by 2100 A.D. As time goes by, Truro will be flooded more frequently and the floods will become more severe.

Aquatic Resources Are Important to Canada

The use of Canada's marine and freshwater resources and waterways contributes significant value to the Canadian economy and external trade. The oceans sector alone generated almost $20 billion of Canada's gross domestic product in 1996, from such sectors as commercial fishing, aquaculture, marine shipping and shipbuilding, tourism, manufacturing and services, and oil and gas industries. The health of Canada's aquatic resources is also important for the quality of life and human health in Canada. In that regard, understanding the role of oceans in global climate change is especially urgent. Aquatic resources also play an important social and cultural role for many Aboriginal and other communities in Canada.

Canada is Taking Action

In 1997, as part of the Kyoto Protocol, Canada agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below 1990 levels, by the period 2008-2012. When fully implemented, the Government of Canada’s action on climate change is projected to take us one-third of the way toward meeting this target while laying the foundation for future actions.

Want to know more about climate change?

Visit the Government of Canada climate change Web site at www.climatechange.gc.ca or call 1 800 O-Canada (1 800 622-6232, or TTY 1 800 465 7735) toll-free and ask for information about climate change.

Related documents:

Fact Sheets

• Government of Canada Initiatives
• Atlantic Canada
• Clean Air
• Oil, Gas and Coal
• Competitiveness