Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture : synthesis of current knowledge, adaptation and mitigation options

Abstract

By 2050 humans will face the challenge of having to provide food and livelihoods to a population likely to exceed nine billion people. This challenge is well reflected in the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, a global commitment to ensure that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature, through the sustainable management of natural resources. This paper emerges from the above challenges, first in recognition of the significant role that fisheries (both marine and inland) and aquaculture play in addressing them. The fisheries and aquaculture sector supports the livelihoods of between 10%-12% of the world’s population, and in the last five decades its production has significantly outpaced population growth, thus increasing its contribution to food security and nutrition.