Overview
The purpose of this workshop was to convene managers and staff of East Coast fishery management organizations to discuss the potential governance challenges arising from the impacts of climate change on East Coast marine fisheries.
Objectives
- Explore the existing and potential impacts of climate change on the management and governance of East Coast marine fisheries, with an emphasis on the policy implications of shifting fishery distributions and changing productivity;
- Evaluate processes for documenting and acknowledging climate-related changes and initiating a management response;
- Identify key management questions, concerns and information needs to guide future research and coordination between management bodies;
- Examine the flexibility of the existing management framework to accommodate climate-related governance challenges; and
Discuss potential solutions and next steps for adapting and responding to climate change, and identify opportunities to maintain a dialogue between East Coast fishery management partners.
Collaborating Organizations
With support from the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council planned this workshop in conjunction with the New England and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and NOAA Fisheries. Invited participants included East Coast fishery managers, scientists, support staff and others from each management region and NOAA Fisheries.
Workshop Documents
- Agenda (updated 3-17-14)
- Participant List
- Discussion Document: Navigating Management and Governance Complexity in a Changing Environment
- Workshop Report (10/6/2014)
Rapid Assessment Profiles
The rapid assessment approach was developed to inform the workshop agenda and discussions. The purpose of these rapid assessments is to describe the current state of knowledge regarding climate change impacts and concerns for managed fisheries, and in particular to help identify intersections with the workshop focus on management and governance. The initial rapid assessments, listed below, were completed by staff of the councils and Commission. They are not intended to be comprehensive; rather they are a first pass at gathering information, and will serve as living documents that can be refined and updated over time to incorporate new information and perspectives.
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
- Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
- New England Fishery Management Council
- South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Additional Resources
- Climate Change and Fishery Science Workshop - February 11, 2014
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council - Spotlight on Atlantic Cod and Atlantic Croaker
Patricia M. Clay, Social Sciences Branch, Northeast Fisheries Science Center - Northeast Fisheries Climate Change Overview: Social and Economic Factors
Patricia M. Clay - NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Social Science Branch
- Drivers of Climate Change and Variability on the Northeast Shelf
NOAA Fisheries - Climate and Fisheries
NOAA Fisheries - A Message from Richard Merrick, Chief Scientist for NOAA Fisheries: "As Our Climate Changes, We Must Base Our Policies in Sound Science"
- Assessing the vulnerability of fish stocks in a changing climate
NOAA Service
Presentations
- Impacts of climate change on marine fisheries
Dr. Jon Hare - Economic dimensions of climate change
Dr. Doug Lipton - Sociocultural dimensions of climate change
Dr. Patricia Clay - Adapting to environmental change: Newfoundland’s experience
Michael Alexander and Kevin Anderson - The Mid-Atlantic Council’s Climate Science Workshop: Overview and themes of discussion
Rich Seagraves - Governance and policy foundations
Dr. Mike Orbach