Embracing social-ecological system complexity to promote climate-ready fisheries

Details

• Journal Title:
  Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries
• Personal Author:
  Harvey, Chris J. ; Clay, Patricia M. ; Selden, Rebecca ; Moore, Stephanie K. ; Andrews, Kelly S. ; deReynier, Yvonne L. ; Beaudreau, Anne H. ; Liu, Owen R. ; Norman, Karma C. ; Samhouri, Jameal F. ; Bellquist, Lyall ; Burden, Merrick ; Colburn, Lisa L. ; Haltuch, Melissa A. ; Harley, Abigail ; Kaplan, Isaac C. ; Kasperski, Stephen ; Klajbor, Willem ; Lewis-Smith, Connor ; Tolimieri, Nick ; Watson, Jessica L. ; Wise, Sarah
• NOAA Program & Office:
  NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) ; NWFSC (Northwest Fisheries Science Center) ; WCR (West Coast Region) ; AFSC (Alaska Fisheries Science Center) ; OST (Office of Science and Technology) ; OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; AOML (Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory) ; CIMAS (Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies)
• Description:
  Climate variability and change are having dramatic effects on marine species, fisheries, and fishing communities. Climate perturbations elicit fishery management responses intended to mitigate negative effects, but the responses often do not account for the complexity of fisheries systems, leading to unintended consequences. However, including more diverse forms of ecological, economic, and social information reveals elements of system structure that could lead to more climate-adaptive management approaches and better outcomes. Here, we examine four U.S. case studies that span a range of climate-fisheries interactions: target species distribution shifts; bycatch of juvenile fish; harmful algal blooms that delay fishery openings; and offshore wind energy development on fishing grounds. In each example, as management actions or plans were undertaken to mitigate climate impacts, subsequent quantitative and qualitative indicators and knowledge revealed potential system feedbacks, fishery participant responses, and/or undesirable fishery outcomes. These case studies highlight the complex and iterative nature of developing climate-adaptive strategies for fisheries management. They also illustrate that how we define “fishing community” is a key determinant of both the outcomes of climate-driven management actions and how those outcomes are perceived. Finally, they underscore the value of engagement and knowledge exchange among participants, scientists and managers, and provide insight as to how to more rigorously apply “best available science” to climate-ready fisheries management, in accordance with fishery policies and laws that emphasize both biological and social outcomes.
• Source:
  Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (2025)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-025-09926-x
• ISSN:
  0960-3166 ; 1573-5184
• Format:
  PDF
• Publisher:
  Springer Science and Business Media LLC
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• License:
  https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
• Rights Information:
  CC0 Public Domain
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6b2bc43645e717bdaf9abe8e05c6a49f96aae91e5671c3ddd3f1666cc9c42810cc82e53ce17ac00c7858f3e7ae97cedbfc5dc36bd4bd1d94336bcb5cf50acbe6
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/67447/noaa_67447_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.05 MB ]