Climate Science and Fisheries Workshop

Understanding climate change and the associated impacts on the ocean environment has emerged as one of the major challenges facing fishery science and management. On February 11, 2014, the Council hosted a Climate Change and Fishery Science Workshop in New Bern, North Carolina.

Workshop Objectives:

• Inform the Mid-Atlantic Council about the state of climate science relative to prediction of climate change

• Describe the ecosystem impacts/changes which have already occurred.

This was the second workshop that the Council has held as part of the process for developing an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) guidance document. These workshops are intended to bring together technical experts, managers and stakeholders to evaluate science and policy aspects of specific issues and develop "best practice" recommendations to be incorporated into the EAFM document. 

The workshop's agenda included a wide range of presentations on climate change and the expected range of impacts on living marine resources. Outcomes from the workshop will be incorporated into the ongoing development of an EAFM guidance document. 

Workshop Materials

• Agenda

Presentations

• State of climate science and identification of range of responses
  Jon Hare

• Incorporating climate science information into fisheries management
  Sarah Gaichas and Jason Link

• Fleet Fishing Dynamics
  Geret dePiper and Doug Lipton

• Effects of Climate Velocity on Fish and Fisheries 
  Malin Pinsky

• Incorporation of climate information and uncertainty into stock assessments, biological reference points and ABC specifications
  Olaf Jensen

• Current Basis for Essential Fish Habitat Designations in the NE Region 
  David Stevenson

• Marine Habitat and Climate: An Inconvenient Truth 
  John Manderson

• Workshop Summary and Next Steps

Audio

• Audio/presentation recording - morning session

• Audio/presentation recording - afternoon session

• Audio/presentation recording - closing remarks