Chair's Summary

Recent scientific findings, including the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (IPCC, 2007) indicate that the global effects of climate change are becoming more evident. Climate change is likely to influence fisheries and aquaculture production in various ways. For capture fisheries, climate change affects fish productivity and distribution through changes in recruitment, growth rates and mortality rates, as well as in the migratory patterns of some stocks. From an economic point of view, these changes will result in losers and winners, between regions or countries as well as within national jurisdictions. With respect to aquaculture production, climate change may necessitate changes in the species composition farmed in some areas depending on tolerability of the species to temperature and other changes. Other possible impacts of climate change on aquaculture include changes in feed composition and supply as well as changes in the type, scope and extent disease outbreaks in fish farms. For both sectors, relocation of aquaculture production sites, wild harvest landing sites (e.g. ports), and fish processing facilities may be required due to extreme weather events, changing stock distribution and location relative to markets.