Many fish species are swimming farther north in the oceans to find cooler waters. More severe storms and floods are destroying coastal habitats. And more acidic seawater is harming the shells of lobsters, oysters, and other shellfish.

But Ariel Kagan, fisheries economist and sustainability student coordinator at George Washington University, says there is a lot still unknown about the effects of climate change on sea life.

Kagan: “There’s this saying that forestry managers go out, they count the trees, they see where the trees are, and then they decide how many trees to cut down. But in fisheries management, you can’t see the fish, and they move. So it’s much harder to figure out what’s going on.”

So NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – has outlined a strategy to provide fisheries managers with the information they need to create sound policies in a changing climate.

The report highlights seven objectives. They include providing early warnings, projecting future changes, and building science infrastructure such as research vessels, buoys, and satellites to help track fish movements.

NOAA will use the report to create action plans designed to help ocean fisheries, marine species, and habitats adapt and become more resilient to a changing climate.

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media/Evan Lowenstein.
Photo: Copyright protected.

More Resources
NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy Highlights
NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy