{"id":8308,"date":"2022-06-21T15:06:50","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T19:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/?p=8308"},"modified":"2022-06-21T15:06:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T19:06:50","slug":"supporting-climate-resilient-fisheries-during-the-un-decade-of-ocean-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/2022\/06\/21\/supporting-climate-resilient-fisheries-during-the-un-decade-of-ocean-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting climate-resilient fisheries during the UN Decade of Ocean Science"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By EDF’s Jacob Eurich and Kristin Kleisner<\/span>, and <\/span>Kathy Mills, Gulf of Maine Research Institute<\/span><\/p>\n

Fisheries, including the systems for harvesting, processing and marketing blue foods, are an important pillar of many economies, supporting hundreds of millions of livelihoods. Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture produce more than half of the global fish catch and two-thirds of all the blue foods we eat. Climate change continues to threaten fisheries, altering ocean ecosystems and transforming fish stocks, with climate-induced losses disproportionately impacting the regions and people most dependent on fish for protein and micronutrients\u2014predominantly small-scale fishers in developing, small-island nations in the tropics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To these fishers and their communities, oceans are not simply a way of life, they are a source of life, and how these fisheries fare will have repercussions for the rest of the world. Unfortunately, while more attention has been paid to these fisheries and fishing communities recently, it may be too little, too late. What is needed is a strong and united way to secure sustainable and resilient fisheries in the face of climate change. The <\/span>United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development<\/span><\/a>, a decadal program aimed at improving climate resilience, applies global ocean science advances to enhance fisheries outcomes in changing marine ecosystems.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Opportunities during the UN Ocean Decade<\/b><\/p>\n

Identifying and understanding opportunities to improve and support climate resilience will become increasingly important for achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals. A decadal program we are contributing to, \u201cFisheries Strategies for Changing Oceans and Resilient Ecosystems by 2030,\u201d or <\/span>FishSCORE<\/span><\/a>, was endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Our program will build a global network of scientists, stakeholders and practitioners to identify approaches to sustain marine fisheries,<\/span> protect ocean ecosystem health and secure equitable benefits for fisheries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, this network aims to move fisheries towards climate resilience by:<\/span><\/p>\n