Managing for climate resilient fisheries: Applications to the Southern Ocean

Climate change is having profound effects on populations of fished species and the ecosystems on which they depend, lending to a growing body of work that advocates for climate resilience to be a priority in fishery management. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the tools needed to manage for climate resiliency. The Antarctic region is among the most vulnerable to climate change, and thus, we then consider climate resilient management tools utilized by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the body responsible for the management of Antarctic marine living resources as part of the Antarctic Treaty System. We note progress, gaps, and opportunities for implementation. Across the literature, ecosystem-based management was cited as an appropriate tool for climate resilience of marine ecosystems, as was the use of climate model outputs (projections and simulations), marine protected areas (MPAs), and dynamic stock assessments. CCAMLR has a unique position where its Convention effectively mandates the principles of an ecosystem-based precautionary approach for managing fisheries, and many of its Member States have been advocating for climate initiatives within this approach. While CCAMLR has made limited overall progress towards ensuring climate resilience, it has advanced in some areas, such as MPA implementation, developing a risk assessment for krill, and including statements on climate change in fishery reports, although there is much work to be done. While climate change remains a worldwide issue that must be addressed on a global scale, CCAMLR holds the responsibility for adaptively managing Southern Ocean marine living resources for climate resilience.

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