ANSWER 1

Written response:

The most effective way of ensuring fisheries have security and foresight in planning for future climate impacts is first to provide them with best available information – what is changing, by how much and where etc. What options are available that can cope with that change or what alternatives are available? Sharing new information with them when it becomes available is also important so updates can be made (climate change is modifying ocean ecosystems in ways not seen by science, so surprises will occur, and updates will be needed).

The other aspect of planning is to allow space for change – this might be in how things are done or where. In some instances this may even mean revising past rules where those rules no longer represent the best fit for the situation.

There are scientific tools to help with aspects of planning. One example is the fisheries Climate Adaptation Handbook (freely available at https://research.csiro.au/cor/research-domains/climate-impacts-adaptation/climate-adaptation-handbook/) which steps through things to think about and some broad options. This can then start the process to finer planning.

Another way of thinking about the future is to use models (versions of the world inside a computer) to explore what the future could look like. This is the approach being used by the Australian Futures of Seafood project. Some of the scenarios that project is considering are available at https://futuresofseafood.com.au/foresighting-workshops/.
By the end of 2025 the Futures of Seafood project will share the lessons learnt about useful interventions to help support thriving seafood production into the future.