IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE

ABSTRACT

This study examines the major effects of climate change on Fisheries and Aquaculture. Factors responsible for climate change which include burning of fuel, oil, coal, gas, deforestation among others cause the emission of green house gases (carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane and nitrous oxide) into the atmosphere with resultant global warming leading to climate change. The main elements of climate change that would impact on Fisheries and Aquaculture production such as global warming, sea level rise, ocean acidification and ocean salinity, density and stratification were properly looked at and the reasons for their effects were addressed. The different impact of climate change that are experienced in varying degrees can be either positive or negative which can occur directly or indirectly depending on the different culture system that are practiced. The direct effect act on the physiology, growth rate, reproduction, behaviour and survival of individual while indirect effect act on ecosystem processes and changes in production of food or abundance of competitors, predators and pathogen. The major impact of climate change on Fisheries and Aquaculture were carefully discussed as well as the adaptation and mitigation strategies that should be adopted by the society to ameliorate the harsh effect of climate change and the subsequent global warming.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Problem

Fisher-folk depend for a major part of their livelihood on natural resources whose distribution and productivity are known to be influenced by climate dynamics (Allison, Adger, Badjeck, Brown, Conway and Dulvy, 2005). According to Abubakar, Tahir and Olisa (2009), climate is now one of the major phenomena threatening lives and humanity in general since the beginning of industrial revolution. Perry, Ommer, Allison, Badjeck, Barange and Hamilton (2009) points out that the anthropogenic climate variability is already affecting aquatic ecosystems and the human societies that depend on them.

It is an undisputed fact that the impacts of climate variability can be particularly severe in societies where people are highly dependent on natural resources for their livelihood and also experience the impacts of extreme climate events such as floods, drought and other sources of stress to their livelihoods such as disease, conflict and increased population pressure (Goulden, 2005). According to Allison, Perry, Badjeck, Adger, Brown and Conway (2009), small-scale fisher folk in the developing countries are more vulnerable to climate variability due to their high reliance on fisheries and poor adaptive capacity. However most studies so far have concentrated on climate- driven changes in ocean productivity and its impact on fish distribution and production particularly in relation to oceanic regime changes of large-scale industrial fisheries (Klyastorin, 2001) and have not considered effects of climate change especially changes in temperature, rainfall and wind on the fishing activities and the coping and adaptive strategies of the fisher folk communities, especially in freshwater systems (Badjeck, Menjo, Wolff and Lange, 2009) such as in Lake Victoria.

The communities around Lake Victoria in East Africa mainly derive their livelihoods from the Lake. Most of the fisher folk have no alternative occupation apart from fishing (Omwega, 2000). According to UNESCO (2008), about 3 million people earn their living directly or indirectly from the fishing industry in Lake Victoria. However, the lake is highly vulnerable to climate change especially due to its shallowness, limited river inflow, demand on outflow and large surface area relative to its volume (Crandall, 2009). The impacts on the livelihoods activities of communities around it are likely to be severe due to extreme climate events such as floods and drought as well as the high population density. Lake Victoria in the recent past has visibly changed in its expanse, with its water level reducing every season despite the increased El-nino effect of 1997 and 2009 in East Africa (Namwebe, 2009).

According to Minawaka, Sonye, Dida, Futami and Kanoke (2008), the water level of Lake Victoria has fallen more than 1.5 metres since 1998 revealing a narrow strip of land along its shore. This is mainly attributed to the impacts of climate change. One of the results has been increasingly dwindling fish catch. According to Hecky, Mugidde, Ramlal, Talbot and Kling (2010), Lake Victoria has endured multiple stresses over the past century including population growth, increased cultivation of land, meteorological variability, resource extraction, intensive fishing, introduction of exotic species and more recently global warming. There are compelling reasons both economic and nutritional for carrying out a research on the effect of climate change on fishing around Lake Victoria and particularly so since research have shown that most fisher folk have no alternative occupation apart from fishing (Omwega, 2000).

This study examined the effects of climate change, specifically, changes in temperature, rainfall and wind pattern on fishing activities and coping and adaptive strategies of the fisher folk in Brass, Bayelsa state.

• Statement of the Problem

According to Badjeck, Allison, Halls and Dulvy (2009), there is increasing concern over the consequences of global warming for food security and livelihoods of the world’s 36 million fisher folk and nearly 1.5 billion consumers who rely on fish for more than 20% of their dietary animal protein. With mounting evidence of the impacts of climate variability and change on aquatic ecosystems, the resulting impacts on fisheries livelihoods are likely to be significant, but remain a neglected area in climate adaptation policy. Most research on climate variability and fisheries have however in the past focused on documenting trends and fluctuations in fish abundance and distribution, particularly in relation to oceanic regime changes and the major pelagic fish

stocks of upwelling zones that are the target of large-scale industrial fisheries (Klyastorin, 2001).

Although there are a number of studies that have investigated the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the fisheries dependent community to climate change, there has been little directed analysis at the local scale on how climate change is affecting the lives and livelihoods of the tropical majority of small-scale fisher folk, who make up more than 90% of the world’s fishers and fish trade (Badjeck et al. 2009). Yet according to Allison (2009), climate variability adversely affects societies whose people are highly dependent on natural resources for their livelihood such as fishing, crop farming, animal husbandry, horticulture and forestry among others. Lake Victoria provides the ideal circumstances against which to study the effects of climate change on the fishing activities of the small-scale fisher folk. The lake’s shallowness, limited river inflow, demands on outflow, and large surface area relative to its volume make it highly vulnerable to climate variability (Crandall, 2009). Changes in wind patterns, occurrence of severe storms, changes in temperature and reduction of the lake level as a result of climate change are likely to impact on fish production, species composition, distribution, safety and efficiency of fishing. These would also have significant effects on the livelihood activities of the neighbouring fishing community. In Brass where majority of the fisher folk are small scale, climate change especially changes in temperature, rainfall and wind patterns make the fisher folk more vulnerable because of heavy reliance in fisheries and poor adaptive capabilities. It is against this backdrop that this study sought to examine the role played by climate change, specifically changes in temperature, rainfall and wind on fishing activities and the coping and adaptive strategies of the fisher folk in Brass of Bayelsa state.

• Research Objectives

• General Objective

The general objective of this study was to determine the effects of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture in Brass, Bayelsa state. The study specifically examined how changes in temperature, rainfall and wind impact on the fisher folk, fish catch, fishing facilities and choice of fishing techniques. It also examined the alternative livelihood activities of the fisher folk.

• Specific Objectives

The study sought to address the following objectives:

• To find out the effects of climate change; specifically changes in temperature, rainfall and wind on the fisher-folk and fishing duration in Brass.

• To investigate the effects of the seasonal variability of climatic elements on the fish catch in Brass.

• To assess the effects of climate change on the choice of fishing techniques and equipment being utilized by fisher-folk in Brass.

• To establish the coping and adaptive strategies of the fishing community in Brass.

• Research Questions

The following research questions were addressed in this study:

• What are the effects of climate change, specifically changes in temperature, rainfall and wind on fisher-folk and fishing duration in Brass?

• What is the effect of seasonal variation of weather on the fish catch in Brass?

• Does the effects of climate change influence the choice of fishing techniques and equipment utilized by fisher folk in Brass?

• What are the coping and adaptive strategies of the fishing community in Brass?

• Significance of the study

The study is significant in that, it will contribute to the understanding of the impact of climate change on the livelihood of the small scale fishing communities. It has revealed the risks posed to fisher-folk by the impact of climate change that need to be addressed by the government, policy makers, and the wider society and recommended the need to come up with alternative sources of livelihood. The mechanisms by which individuals and societies respond to climate change can also provide valuable insights into how communities affected in the future might adapt and cope to the impacts of climate change.

Additionally, the study contributes to the existing empirical body of knowledge on the impact of climate change on the livelihood of peasants.

Responding to climate change requires a multi-level, interdisciplinary and integrated response as well as public participation. Knowledge of how fisher- folk perceive and understand the impact of climate change on their livelihood is important as an indication of the potential for change in behaviour to address the problem of climate change and potentials for mitigation and adaptation strategies.

• Scope of the study

This study covered Brass, in Bayelsa state where fishing is the main economic activity and source of livelihood. Although there are other economic activities such as agriculture affected by climate change, this study focused only on fishing. As Allison, et al. (2009) points out that small-scale fisher-folk in the developing countries are more vulnerable to climate variability due to their high reliance on fisheries and poor adaptive capacity. The study considered only the effects of three elements of climate, that is temperature, rainfall and wind as representative of other elements. Although the focus was on all fisher folk within the division, the study did not cover all the fisher folk due to their large number, thus sampling procedures were employed. This was necessary for an in-depth analysis of the effects of climate change on the fisheries and aquaculture. In considering secondary data on weather conditions, number of fisher folk going for fishing, amount of fish catch and the fishing equipment and techniques, the study considered the period between 2002 to 2024.

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Item Type: Project Material  |  Size: 74 pages  |  Chapters: 1-5

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