Bell, Johann, Ganachaud, Alexandre, Gehrke, Peter, Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, Johnson, Johanna, Le Borgne, Robert, Lough, Janice, Pickering, Tim, Pratchett, Morgan, Sikivou, Mosese, and Waycott, Michelle (2013) Vulnerability of fisheries and aquaculture to climate change in Pacific Island countries and territories. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Proceedings, 28. pp. 25-106.

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Abstract

[Extract] The vital contributions of fisheries and aquaculture to the collective goals of the 22 Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs)1 for economic, human and social development cannot be overemphasized. Nowhere else in the world do so many countries and territories depend as heavily on the benefits derived from fish and shellfish. License fees from distant water fishing nations (DWFNs) operating in the region contribute substantially to the government revenue of many PICTs and domestic fishing fleets and local fish processing operations provide account for significant proportions of gross domestic product (GDP) in several PICTs (Gillett, 2009).Fish underpins food security in the region – in more than half of all PICTs fish consumption is at least 2–4 times greater than the global average. In the rural areas,60−90 percent of this fish comes from subsistence fishing activities and fish often makes up 50-90 percent of dietary animal protein (Bell et al., 2009). However, in some PICTs, access to fish needs to be increased to provide the 35 kg per person per year recommended for good nutrition in a region with limited opportunities for animal husbandry and broad-acre crop production (SPC, 2008a)2.Fisheries and aquaculture are also an important source of jobs and opportunities to earn income. More than 12 000 people are employed in tuna canneries or processing facilities, or on tuna fishing vessels, and an average of 47 percent of households in coastal fishing communities earn either their first or second income from fishing or selling fish (Pinca et al., 2010). In several remote atolls, pearl farming is an important source of employment and in inland Papua New Guinea there are now more than10 000 households growing fish in freshwater ponds (Ponia, 2010, Pickering et al.,2011). The Pacific Plan3 recognizes that the benefits of the fisheries and aquaculture sector for economic development, food security and livelihoods are linked to the effective management of fish and shellfish, and the habitats that support them. ‘Development and implementation of national and regional conservation and management measures for the sustainable use of fisheries resources’ is a priority of the Plan. The need for responsible and effective stewardship of fisheries resources was also reinforced by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in their ‘Vava’u Declaration’4.‘The Future of Pacific Island Fisheries’ study commissioned by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Secretariat of the Pacific community (SPC)(Gillett and Cartwright, 2010) maps out the management measures needed to retain the benefits of the sector. It also identifies the main factors driving exploitation of the various stocks underpinning the sector and plausible scenarios that could result in the benefits derived from these resources being reduced or lost. One driver that is very likely to grow in significance in coming years is the effects of global warming and ocean acidification due to increased emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. There are serious concerns that these emissions could soon begin to affect the plans being made by PICTs to optimize the economic and social benefits derived from fisheries and aquaculture.

1.1 Objectives of the study: This case study assesses the vulnerability of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in PICTs to climate change by examining: 1) the potential impacts of projected changes to the atmosphere and ocean on oceanic, coastal and freshwater fish habitats and stocks, and aquaculture; 2) the sensitivity and adaptive capacity of these resources and the economies and communities that depend on them to such changes; 3) the adaptation strategies and policies required to minimize the threats from climate change and maximize opportunities; 4) the gaps in knowledge remaining to be filled to improve understanding of the sector’s vulnerability; and 5) the recommended investments needed to launch priority adaptations and regularly assess their success. This analysis is based on the recent assessment of the vulnerability of fisheries and aquaculture in the tropical Pacific to climate change coordinated by SPC (Bell et al.,2011a). Although some of the fisheries resources of the region, e.g. tuna, are shared with countries in Southeast Asia (particularly Indonesia and Philippines), this case study is restricted to assessing the vulnerability of island nations in the tropical Pacific. The outcomes of the assessment are expected to have some application to small island developing states (SIDS) in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean, however, the wide geographic separation of PICTs from the other SIDS warrants an independent case study.

Item ID:	47584
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2070-6103
Copyright Information:	© FAO 2024. FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO's endorsement of users' views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request/en.
Date Deposited:	18 Dec 2024 04:12
FoR Codes:	06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology) @ 40% 07 AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES > 0704 Fisheries Sciences > 070403 Fisheries Management @ 60%
SEO Codes:	83 ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 8302 Fisheries - Wild Caught > 830299 Fisheries- Wild Caught not elsewhere classified @ 20% 83 ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 8301 Fisheries - Aquaculture > 830199 Fisheries - Aquaculture not elsewhere classified @ 20% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9603 Climate and Climate Change > 960309 Effects of Climate Change and Variability on the South Pacific (excl. Australia and New Zealand) (excl. Social Impacts) @ 60%
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