Adaptation strategies of the aquaculture sector to the impacts of climate change

The need for adaptation in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and the associated challenges are expected to increase with climate change. This has been stated with a very high degree of confidence by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5). The Report also refers to the complexity of adaptation in the description of nine constraining factors and laying down ten overlapping approaches for managing the risks of climate change through adaptation. This document reviews the numerous options for aquaculture described in sector literature; it identifies key research areas that would improve the sector’s capacity to adapt to climate change impacts and inform policy on adaptation. The document ends with a set of suggestions for assessing potential adaptation measures and implementing them.