Australia: CSIRO publishes handbook to help fishing industry tackle climate change

As climate change continues to teeter the planet’s balance, Australia’s national science agency has published a new handbook to help the fishing industry adapt to it. On Tuesday, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) launched the ‘Adaptation of fisheries management of climate change’ handbook. The book, as per its lead author, would aid fisheries deal with the constantly changing marine environments of the pacific island. 

"Our science shows that many marine species, including fished species, are facing threats due to climate change, like changes to water temperatures, ocean chemistry or habitat distribution," she said in a media release on Tuesday. "The combined pressures of climate change mean that fisheries are likely to become more variable, affecting when, where and how many fish are caught."

In a previous report, CSIRO has warned that oceans are most affected by global warming. “Observations since 1961 show that about 80 per cent of the heat added to the climate system has been absorbed by the ocean, which has undergone a temperature increase to a depth of at least 3000 m,” it said. Notably, the heating ocean not only affects the endangered coral reefs but also fishes and other aquatic beings. 

According to Xinhua, the handbook sets out a three-step process for understanding climate risks and managing responses to them. The handbook would help the industry to develop a shared underrating of climate risks, as per Wez Norris, who is the chief executive of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA). "Fisheries managers want to know how climate change affects aspects of management like sustainable catch limits, fishing rules, or the methods and gear used," he said. 

Climate change and its effect on coral reefs 

Last December, IUCN noted that the health of the Australi's Great Barrier Reef has worsened moving it from “significant concern” to “critical”. Citing concern, the conservation organisation highlighted that the reef suffered its third mass coral bleaching in five years during the 2019-20 summer. Progress towards safeguarding the reef under a long-term sustainability plan through to 2050 has been slow and it has not been possible to stop its deterioration, the report concluded.

Representative Image: AP