ANSWER 1

Written response:

“How is climate change affecting Australia’s finfish aquaculture industry?”
Climate change is driving warmer sea-surface temperatures, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events (including marine heatwaves and storms), and increasing ocean acidification. For finfish aquaculture, these changes can result in an increase in the incidence of disease and other fish health and welfare challenges, lower growth rates, and an increase in production costs.

“What is the industry doing to respond to these impacts?”
The industry is addressing these impacts by implementing strategies to reduce their operational vulnerability (climate adaptation) and carbon emissions (climate mitigation). For example:

1. Finfish companies are reducing their operational vulnerability by:

• Climate proofing operations through site selection (moving pens to deeper, better-flushed sites where temperature and low oxygen risks are lower), selective breeding and stock choice (breeding for heat tolerance, disease resistance, robustness), prophylactics (developing new fish vaccines), and engineering solutions (aeration/oxygenation capacity).
• Reducing ecosystem pressures through improving feed management, reducing stocking densities, and holding stock for longer in land-based facilities.
• Partnering with researchers, regulators and other users to develop monitoring networks and emergency response protocols.

2. Aquaculture companies are also working to cut emissions across the value chain by lowering the footprint of feed (through lower-impact ingredients and improved feed conversion)\, progressing decarbonisation goals\, and strengthening waste and circularity management.

“How should these efforts be communicated?”
Finfish farms should communicate climate action in a way that is consistent, locally relevant, specific, measurable, and transparent.
 For example, the message should clearly explain:

• What is changing in the local environment (e.g., warmer temperatures, marine heatwaves, storms, low oxygen, risk of harmful algal bloom) and what that means for fish welfare and operations.
• ·What actions are being taken to protect fish and the environment (adaptation) and to cut carbon emissions (mitigation). Claims should be qualified and backed by clear evidence and defined boundaries.
• How progress will be measured (agreed KPIs, frequency), reported (community meetings, reports, and data links) and verified (independent audits, regulator data).

Engagement should target different audiences and be focused on listening and showing rather than telling. Examples include: community drop-ins and site visits, school and community visits, experiential/participatory learning opportunities at community events, local news bulletins, and simple online dashboards and quarterly factsheets.

Cortes, J. R. et.al. (2026) Climate-smart aquaculture: Innovations and challenges in mitigating climate change impacts on fisheries and coastal agriculture. Journal of Aquaculture and fisheries https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaf.2025.08.009