Climate Change And the Economics of the World's Fisheries: Examples Of Small Pelagic Stocks (New Horizons in Environmental Economics)

When Ihe public, media and politicians talk aboul climate change, they mostly have in mind changes in weather patterns, impacts on agricultural production and disruptions in supporting energy systems. Yet climate change will affect, and in some cases already is affecting. the dynamics of all components of the earth's system. Climate change is not an isolated phenomenon, but just one dimension of an increasingly evident human imprint on the earth at a global level, which affects climate, land use. resource exploitation and pollution, among other issues. Many of these issues are linked through positive feedbacks that increase their impacts. Therefore, we often refer to ''global change'' rather than ''climate change'', in acknowledgement of the links between the physical, chemical and biological systems that regulate the earth and the social systems that it supports. To date, research on the economic implications of climate change on fisheries has been both limited and fragmented. The contributors to this volume remedy the lack of attention by investigating the economic consequences of pelagic fish fluctuations in the recent past in order to understand how to adapt and respond to future climate changes.Small pelagic fish constitute approximately 30 per cent of the world's fish catch, have a global distribution, and are characterized by dramatic fluctuations in response to ocean climate. Despite this, countries adjust to changes in fish abundance, regardless of the cause, at variable time scales. These adjustments are often uncoordinated. The contributors address these concerns in chapters that cover a range of topics including: historical fluctuations of Atlanto-Scandian herring, management adaptations to climate regime shifts, differential consequences of pelagic fishery collapses in Southeast Asia, and the globalized nature of fishmeal markets. The case studies are complementary and yet self-standing, highlighting the need for a more coordinated assessment of impacts, and calling for more focused research.Students and scholars of climate change and environmental and resource economics will find this cohesive volume an instructive and enlightening resource. Policymakers and those in the fisheries management community will find the case studies and analyses useful in determining future goals and responses. 1845424476......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Contributors......Page 8 Climate change and the economics of the world’s fisheries: an introduction......Page 16 1. Global warming, small pelagic fisheries and risk......Page 20 2. The collapse of the Norwegian herring fisheries in the 1960s and 1970s: crisis, adaptation and recovery......Page 52 3. Sharing the herring: fish migrations, strategic advantage and climate change......Page 85 4. Rise and fall of the herring towns: impacts of climate and human teleconnections......Page 119 5. An optimal harvest policy for the recently renewed United States Pacific sardine fishery......Page 145 6. Long-term harvest strategies for small pelagic fisheries under regime shifts: the South African fishery for pilchard and anchovy......Page 170 7. Declines in Namibia’s pilchard catch: the reasons and consequences......Page 224 8. Climate change and small pelagic fisheries in developing Asia: the economic impact on fish producers and consumers......Page 234 9. Bi-national management of a transboundary marine fishery: modelling the destabilizing impacts of erratic climatic shifts......Page 255 10. Prototype of an integrated model of the worldwide system of small pelagic fisheries......Page 281 11. On the consequences of climate change in pelagic fish populations: a conclusion......Page 315 Index......Page 324