EDFish

Selected tag(s): Coastal Communities

Tech solutions to meet the challenges of a changing ocean

By Janelle Hangen and Huff McGonigal

Climate change will continue to have serious impacts on oceans, fish stocks and fishing communities. If we continue to emit carbon at the current rate, landings of sustainably caught fish will decline by as much as a 25% by the end of the century due to shifting stocks and decreases in productivity. To meet this challenge, a suite of new and emerging technologies can help fishers, managers and communities to fish smarter and to become more climate-resilient in an uncertain future. EDF’s new publication, Technologies for Climate-Resilient Fisheries, identifies four primary climate challenges and the technologies available to meet them. Read More »

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For fisheries in the Caribbean, life revolves around the climate… and our climate resilience

By:

  • Eduardo “Lalo” Boné Morón, Senior Manager, EDF Cuba Oceans Program
  • Juan Carlos Duque, Project Manager of the Biological Corridor in the Caribbean of UNEP
  • José “Pepe” Gerhartz, Conservation Specialist of the CBC Secretariat

“Life revolves around the climate,” says José Luis “Pepe” Gerhartz, a senior conservation specialist from the Caribbean Biological Corridor Initiative, or CBC, a joint initiative between Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico. The scientific knowledge generated by Pepe, among many other experts dedicated to studying climate, indicates that climate change is causing drastic alterations to our oceans. These alterations are inevitably affecting marine ecosystems and the millions of people who depend on them. Fisheries are already suffering as changes in sea temperature, sea currents and many other processes in the oceans affect the abundance and distribution of marine species. Certain organisms will be able to adapt, moving in search of better conditions. However, many others will not, potentially reducing the oceans’ ability to thrive and nourish the world. Read More »

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Blue carbon: A better tomorrow begins below

By: Kristin M. Kleisner and Jamie Collins

As we embark this year on the United Nations Ocean Decade, you may be hearing quite a bit about blue carbon. But what is it, and why is it so important for the future of our planet?  Well, the oceans play a critical role in trapping carbon, and they have absorbed about a third of all human-generated carbon emissions since the start of the Industrial Revolution. This is important because the carbon that human activity has released into the atmosphere acts as an accelerator of climate change.

When carbon is stored naturally in the various parts of ocean and coastal ecosystems — sequestering it, or taking it out of the atmosphere, where it could contribute to warming — we call it blue carbon. The blue carbon storage reservoir includes waters, sediments, and marine plants and animals. Unfortunately, loss of habitat, overfishing and other human impacts, including those from climate change, are reducing the ability of the oceans to trap carbon. That’s why we are exploring pathways to restore these benefits now and help to secure a better future for us all. You can learn more about blue carbon and some of the ways in which we may be able to restore key pathways using this interactive site. Read More »

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Something ‘fishy’ is happening in Congress

If you follow the goings-on of the U.S. Congress, you know that the final months of the year have become a sprint to the finish line marked by bursts of legislative energy and must-pass bills. This year is even more energetic than most. Read More »

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In Indonesia, financial literacy is key to sustainable fishery livelihoods for communities

By Onesya Damayanti and Ria Fitriana

EDF strives for sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges that come from empowering the people and communities we work with. And in Lampung, Indonesia, on the southern tip of Sumatra Island where one of our projects is based, improving financial literacy is essential for the transition to sustainable fisheries management. Read More »

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Collaborative research sheds light on creating climate-resilient multispecies fisheries

Worldwide, there is considerable interest in developing fishery management options that balance social, economic and ecological goals for multispecies fisheries. Ideally, fisheries management should strive not only to produce good yields from single stocks, but also to avoid serial depletion and prevent adverse impacts of fishing on marine ecosystems — a difficult, but achievable task. Read More »

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