What's New?

Adaptation Fund 2012- 2013

2011-08-12

NS Environment is now calling for proposals for the 2012-2013  Climate Change Adaptation Fund. Click here for the fund description and application form.

Conference 'Climate Change: Getting Ready'

2012-02-03

Results of the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions (ACAS) program in Nova Scotia will be presented and discussed in Halifax, March 5-6, 2012.

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Fisheries and Marine Impacts


BoatFishWater

 

Impacts

  • A Climate Sensitive Industry: The ocean and its inhabitants are central to Nova Scotia’s social and economic health.  Fishing accounts for about 10 per cent of the province’s GDP, and forms the economic centre of many coastal communities.
  • Marine Ecosystems: Climate change will affect everything from ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, sea ice coverage, nearshore and beach areas, rivers used for feeding and spawning, coastal erosion of protective salt marshes and barrier dune systems.  All of these have direct impacts on marine life.

  • Fish Habitat: Warmer water temperatures may render marine animals such as salmon, capelin, and cod increasingly vulnerable to competitors and parasites. Increased sediment in precipitation runoff may also challenge other commercial fish stocks like crab, lobster, salmon and other fin fish.

Adaptation

  • Identify resilient species: Concentrate on marine species that are more resilient to climate impacts
  • Diversify the fisheries: Investigate opportunities to diversify the fishing industry to respond to possible long-term declines in different fish stocks and other marine resources 
  • Diversify fish farms: Increasing the flexibility of fish farms to cultivate a variety of different fish
  • Keep workers safe: Ensure operational health and safety measures and vessel design standards are sufficient to protect industry workers from more extreme weather.

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