New Australian handbook to help fishing industry adapt to climate change

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, September 22, 2021
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CANBERRA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national science agency has published a new handbook to help the fishing industry adapt to climate change.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) recently launched the "adaptation of fisheries management to climate change" handbook at the World Fisheries Congress.

Beth Fulton, a CSIRO researcher and lead author of the report, said it would help fisheries deal with complex challenges at a time when Australia's marine environment is changing faster than ever before.

"Our science shows that many marine species, including fished species, are facing threats due to climate change, like changes to water temperatures, ocean chemistry or habitat distribution," she said in a media release on Tuesday.

"The combined pressures of climate change mean that fisheries are likely to become more variable, affecting when, where and how many fish are caught."

The CSIRO produced the handbook with contributions from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).

The handbook sets out a three-step process for understanding climate risks and managing the response, including considering the climate sensitivity of a fishery's management to physical and ecological change, how fishery operators are likely to respond and adapt, and determining potential management responses and the cost and speed of response.

Wez Norris, chief executive of the AFMA, said the document would help the industry establish a shared understanding of climate risks.

"Fisheries managers want to know how climate change affects aspects of management like sustainable catch limits, fishing rules, or the methods and gear used," he said, adding that the handbook will assist AFMA in delivering climate change resilient fisheries management. Enditem

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