Lower-Income Nations Dependent on Coral Reef Fisheries Could be in Trouble

A Liberian fishing vessel outside Monrovia, Liberia. Photo credit: Teresa Turk, NOAA.

A new study identified the countries most vulnerable to declining coral reef fisheries in terms of food security.  The study, co-authored by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), looked at 27 countries across the globe.

“The study identifies countries where climate change is likely to be felt first by threatening people that depend on fisheries,” explained co-author Tim McClanahan of the WCS.

“These countries are priorities for developing adaptation actions before the effects of climate change undermine their ability to feed themselves.  Some countries will be stressed by climate yet have enough capacity to make the adaptation, while others will not.  Making them realize this early will save considerable human suffering in the future.”

The researchers determined that Indonesia and Liberia were the most vulnerable, while Malaysia and Sri Lanka were the least.  They also found two common characteristics for vulnerability:

1. low-income nations that lack the ability to adapt to other protein sources
2. middle-income nations that, while more adaptable, are also more sensitive to climate change

The authors note that these nations need to begin promoting alternative protein sources now.  In their paper, they provided ideas to plan for alternative protein sources that could replace fish, including land-based farming of beans and poultry, or aquaculture.

Boats, some used for fishing, on a beach in Indonesia. Photo credit: NOAA.

To learn more:

• Read the full press release: Corals and Food Security: Study Shows Nations at Risk
• Find the results, published in the November issue of the journal Environmental Science and Policy, here: A framework to assess national level vulnerability from the perspective of food security: The case of coral reef fisheries.

Copyright © 2012 by Marine Science Today, a publication of Marine Science Today LLC.