Fisheries
© FAO/13488/I. De Borhegyi Fisheries and aquaculture have an important role for food security and income generation: employing several hundred millions as fishers and fish farmers and workers in associated activities in the fishery and aquaculture sector. Aquatic foods provide 20% or more of average per capita animal protein intake for more than 2.8 billion people, the majority of whom live in developing countries. Climate change impacts, such as warming of oceans, rivers and lakes and changes in precipitation, water salinity and ocean acidity as well as the increases in extreme weather events, will increase the uncertainties in the supply of fish from capture fisheries and aquaculture. The availability of food will vary, positively and negatively, resulting from changes in habitats, stocks and species distribution in inland, coastal and marine ecosystems. More frequent long term fluctuations in marine environments, such as those induced by El Niño events and increases in extreme weather events will impact stability of supply. Climate change-induced increased risks of species invasions and spreading of vector-borne diseases may threaten food quality. However, new opportunities and positive impacts (e.g. from changes in species and new markets) will also be part of future changes.
Activities
FAO’s activities aim to increase the adaptive capacity of fisheries and aquaculture-dependent communities and to decrease the sector’s carbon foot print through the promotion of improved management practices. Main areas of activities include:
- collecting and disseminating data and information on climate change impacts on fisheries, aquaculture and depending livelihoods;
- developing and disseminating guidelines to promote ecosystem approaches to fisheries and aquaculture, integrated coastal management, and adaptive management under uncertainty;
- providing technical guidance on appropriate fisheries and aquaculture technologies (e.g. resistant species) and integrated agriculture (e.g. pisciculture);
- advocating the importance of the sector to livelihoods and food security;
- assisting in the development of national and regional climate change and food security strategies, priorities, and policies; and
- assisting in supporting cross-sectoral coordination (technical, social, political, legal, and institutional).
Key FAO Links
FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Department: Climate Change
The Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS)
Contact
Page content: Tina.Farmer@fao.org (FIES)
Fisheries and Aquaculture Economics and Policy Division: FIE-Director@fao.org
Publications
Further Publications
Handisyde,N. et al. (2006) The Effects of Climate change on World Aquaculture: A global perspective.