Changes in sea temperatures, currents, winds, rainfall, sea levels and extreme weather events threaten to adversely affect fish and shellfish numbers, said a report by the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Australia’s A$220 million salmon industry off the southern island state of Tasmania could be the hardest hit as salmon are already cultivated close to their upper thermal limit.
By 2030 sea surface temperatures in the South Tasman Sea are expected to rise by 0.6 to 0.9 degrees Celsius and along the northwest coast of Australia between 0.3 and 0.6 degrees Celsius, says Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
“This report is yet another reminder that climate change imposes costs on this nation — costs not only in terms of our way of life, but in terms of the economic costs to our industries and to our communities,” said Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.
Australia’s aquaculture industries would have to adapt to climate change through selective breeding and by regulating their marine environments, said the CSIRO report.
“Australian fisheries and aquaculture management policies do not currently incorporate the effects of climate variability or climate change in setting harvest levels or developing future strategies,” said the report.
Click here to read the report
