“Protecting Our Oceans: The Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries and Coastal Communities”
Oceans have been a crucial buffer in absorbing more than 90 percent of the global warming that has occurred over the past 50 years, protecting the earth from even larger shifts in temperature. However, the impact of this heat absorption is now being felt in the oceans themselves, with rising water temperatures affecting fisheries, intensifying storms, raising sea levels, and causing shifts in coastal ecosystems.
According to a World Bank analysis conducted in partnership with the University of British Columbia and government counterparts in several countries, the fishery catch potential of many African countries and Indonesia is projected to decrease significantly by 2050 due to climate change. In African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Liberia, and São Tomé and Príncipe, the fishery catch potential could decrease by 30 percent or more. Similarly, in Indonesia, important commercial species such as Bali sardinella, torpedo scad, mackerel, and skipjack tuna could see a decline of 20-30 percent in the same timeframe.
A recently published report titled “Hot Water Rising: The Impact of Climate Change on Indonesia’s Fisheries and Coastal Communities”, jointly prepared by the World Bank, the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and the University of British Columbia, highlights the challenges faced by Indonesia’s fisheries sector due to climate change. The report projects a decrease of between 15 and 26 percent in total economic returns in the fishery sector across the Indonesian exclusive economic zone by 2050, in the absence of adaptation measures.
The report also emphasizes the importance of strong fisheries management in mitigating climate change-related losses. Preventing overfishing and maintaining total fishing effort at sustainable levels could help offset economic losses in both large-scale and small-scale fishing sectors.
To address the impacts of climate change on fisheries and coastal communities, the report identifies three strategic interventions:
1. Strengthened fisheries management: Indonesia aims to implement a decentralized fishery management system that includes quota-based fishing and expanded use of vessel monitoring systems to improve management decisions and safety-at-sea. Rapid and targeted fishery closures during marine heatwaves could also help reduce pressure on fisheries.
2. Protected coastal ecosystems: The expansion of Marine Protected Areas, protection of coastal mangroves, and integration of mangroves into national frameworks for carbon financing are essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting fisheries.
3. Empowered coastal communities: Providing diverse economic opportunities, business skills, access to markets, social protection systems, and climate insurance can help coastal communities adapt to a changing climate and reduce reliance on fisheries.
Ultimately, the improvement of fishers’ income and safety, stock productivity, and economic diversification are crucial for achieving climate resilience in coastal communities. Measures such as these can enable communities in Indonesia and around the world to survive and thrive in the face of a changing climate.