| Under current predictions of climate change, Norway will experience dramatic changes including higher temperatures, changes in rainfall, rising sea levels and stronger and more frequent extreme events. These changes will not be distributed uniformly across the country, with some areas more severely impacted. In addition, changes in scale will be noted; although Norway may be seen as a resilient country when one moves down to a regional or sectoral level, differences in natural and societal conditions are large.
Understanding the mechanisms through which climate change might impact aquaculture industry is critical for adaptation of the sector; such information can help reduce or avoid negative impacts and even benefit from changes which might create new opportunities.
Hordaland is Norway’s most important aquaculture county and a pioneering region in modern aquaculture. In 2005 158 fish farms in Hordaland produced 19% of the total Norwegian production of salmon and trout. The aquaculture industry is now widening the range of species farmed to include crustaceans, molluscs, cod, halibut, turbot, catfish and eel. The export value of fish from Hordaland was in 2005 10 % of the total Norwegian fish export.
With the objective of assisting climate change research, a web-based GIS of the aquaculture in Hordaland will be developed focusing at the municipality level. Different types of quantitative and qualitative data from varied sources and agencies will be integrated. Variables important when assessing vulnerability and adaptation capabilities will be identified in consultation with farmers and municipal officers through meetings and interviews.
Such GIS platform will help consider local dynamic biophysical and social contexts thus enabling to understand each municipality’s particular issues; it will serve analyze the geographical distribution of changes and study relations between geography and vulnerability, and identify if there are, spatial patterns. Built into an interactive mapping system, this project will enable actors and agents to assess the implications of climate change for their communities and will produce valuable information which could be considered by planners and policy makers. Preliminary results of internet mapping will be shown.
This project is part of PLAN, a project funded by the Research Council of Norway (http://www.iss.uio.no/forskning/prosjekter/plan/en/).
Abstract presented at the Fourth International Symposium on GIS/Spatial Analysis in Fishery and Aquatic Sciences in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 25–29 August 2008. Fishery-Aquatic GIS Research Group. | 
