The North Sea fishing industry “doesn’t fully appreciate” the impending changes it will have to make because of global warming, a north-east academic has warned.
Tara Marshall, a senior lecturer at Aberdeen University, has flown to South Africa to present the findings of a new report at a global ecology conference.
It was drawn up following a major event hosted by the university in November, which was attended by fishing industry representatives from across the world.
The report found that, while the climate crisis is already impacting fish and fisheries, there is still time for the Scottish sector to better prepare itself for changes in fish growth and distribution which are expected to follow.
Dr Marshall says understanding how yields can differ in the near future will be “key” to operating a sustainable business.
She added: “The fishing industry doesn’t fully appreciate the scale of changes that have already taken place and will continue to impact fish over the foreseeable future.
“Scientists and managers can work with the fishing industry to identify successful adaptation strategies.
“We also recognised that the fishing industry generates a wealth of relevant information that has yet to be fully utilised.
“Testing scientific models describing species distribution in the future can benefit from having fisheries data as a sense-check on model predictions.”
Kara Brydson, the executive director of Fisheries Innovation Scotland which commissioned the report, said: “This project has raised awareness of how, right now, climate change is impacting profitable and sustainable fisheries.
“But also to work together, all hands on deck, to find innovative ways to prepare for a changing world.”
