Download AEBR 367 Climate vulnerability and risk assessments in marine ecosystems, with a special focus on fisheries in Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Boyce, D.G.; Tittensor, D.P.; Schleit, K.E.; Fuller, S. (2025). Climate vulnerability and risk assessments in marine ecosystems, with a special focus on fisheries in Aotearoa (New Zealand). New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 367. 49 p.

This report examines the approaches to evaluating the impact of climate change on fish and marine ecosystems, particularly in New Zealand.

Climate change is already altering where fish live and the productivity of our oceans, and it could intensify.

We reviewed 75 studies from around the world to understand how scientists assess the risks that climate change poses to fisheries.

We reviewed various methods for assessing climate risk, including expert opinion, trait-based methods, computer models, and combinations of these approaches.

Five case studies show how these tools can be used to understand which fish species and fishing communities are most at risk.

The best approaches consider not only the biology of fish but also factors such as fishing infrastructure and community resilience.

These assessments enable managers and governments to determine how to protect the ocean and plan for its future.

Doing this work now will help make our fisheries more sustainable and better prepared for a changing climate.