To create a set of principles and recommendations that can be applied to support the UK fleet in becoming more resilient to the impacts of climate change, focussing on making necessary ecological, social and economic adjustments to management (without directly addressing the reduction of carbon emissions or other drivers of climate change). The recommendations are based on evidence from global examples and aim to facilitate UK fisheries in adapting to climate change and meeting Objective 8b of the Fisheries Act (2020).
The project provides valuable insight into the possible impacts of climate change on UK fisheries, and sets out a suite of suitable management options, adaptive measures, case studies, and supportive tools and mechanisms that can be drawn upon to drive climate adaptation across UK fleets. The report also sets out four key recommendations that can be applied by UK governments to implement innovative climate-resilient management methods across different fisheries sectors:
1. Integrate climate change into all aspects of fisheries management.
2. Frame fisheries as a system and consider adaptation as operating within that system.
3. Enable a suite of adaptation measures to reflect the diversity of circumstances and needs across a diverse fleet.
4. Adaptation and flexibility are integral to good fisheries management.
To support the UK government in meeting Objective 8b of the Fisheries Act (2020), HMC undertook an evaluation of the suitability of global climate-adaptive fisheries management measures within the UK context.
The review began by compiling potential implications of climate change impacts on the UK fishing industry (such as changes in species distributions, loss of viable fisheries due to ocean warming, increased potential for choke species and associated consequences to fishers’ wellbeing) and then went on to assess the applicability of globally implemented climate adaptive measures within the UK context. Such measures include agile regulation, adaptive management with an ecosystem approach and coordination across international boundaries. The information gathered was then used to analyse current UK fisheries management and understand where measures may be hindering climate adaptation.
A review of three international key case studies, Iceland, Australia and the USA, where climate-adaptive management is already being used, was then carried out to draw upon lessons learnt from international experience that could potentially be adopted by the UK, along with additional science-to-policy tools and management concepts (including marine spatial planning to address climate change, scenario planning and vulnerability assessment tools) that could help with implementation. This informed the production of key principles, associated research needs and recommendations as outputs to drive the UK government’s transition to climate-adaptive management.
The final report provides a suite of suitable management options including the four principal recommendations outlined above, for the UK government to draw upon when implementing innovative climate-resilient management methods across different fisheries sectors.
Read the final report here.
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