Global supplies of farmed seafood at risk if we refuse to act on climate change

Ocean-farmed seafood or mariculture is often seen as a panacea to the problems of depleted stocks of wild fish and growing human demand and is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, says lead author Dr Muhammed Oyinlola, a postdoctoral research fellow at the UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF). But the new modelling study highlights the industry is as vulnerable to the effects of climate change as any other. “If we continue to burn fossil fuels at our current rate, the amount of seafood such as fish or mussels able to be farmed sustainably will increase by only eight percent by 2050, and decline by 16 percent by 2090.” By comparison, in a low emissions scenario where the action is taken to mitigate climate change, mariculture is projected to grow by about 17 percent by the mid-21st century and by about 33 percent by the end of the century, relative to the 2000s. The model takes into account many factors, including changing ocean temperatures, suitable ...