The role of fish and fishing in the marine carbon budget is an area of growing interest in the context of the
marine biological carbon pump (BCP) helping to regulate atmospheric CO
2 levels. Fish represent
a component of the BCP, and fishing and
fish removals are likely to perturb that contribution. Fishing may also lead to food web changes that in turn alter the
carbon budget. In addition, fishing gear is known to have
direct impacts on the seafloor, e.g. re-suspending sediment, and hence
carbon, and potentially altering the benthic community dynamics with further possible impacts on
carbon sequestration. And then there is the issue of the fuel use
emissions footprint of fishing.
All this makes for a complex picture of fishing in a climate change perspective.
This workshop is designed to review all these issues together and to chart a roadmap for future research and pathways to ecosystem-informed advice and management approaches.
Many, if not most, of the publications linked above focus on one aspect of the relationship, but a more holistic approach is now warranted. Given the need for a wider, multi- or trans-disciplinary approach, we would seek contributors with a range of skills and knowledge. This would range from biogeochemists and physical oceanographers to fishing gear and vessel technologists, and include multi-species modelers, benthic biologists and fisheries scientists, as well as social scientists working in the social-ecological systems arena.
We encourage in-person participation, but online participationg will also be possible.
If you are interested in joining the workshop please contact
the chairs or
ICES Secretariat.