The interaction between climate change and marine fisheries: Review, challenges, and gaps

Abstract

Climate change presents profound challenges to marine ecosystems and fisheries, necessitating effective management and adaptive strategies. Simultaneously, marine fisheries exacerbate climate change by emitting greenhouse gases through fuel combustion and electricity consumption. This article reviews 142 studies on the bidirectional interactions between climate change and marine fisheries (ICCMF), utilizing bibliometric methods including co-occurrence network analysis, cluster analysis, and conceptual framework analysis to identify research trends, challenges, and gaps. The bibliometric analysis reveals an explosive growth in publications and patents related to ICCMF since 2020. The key themes in ICCMF research encompass: (a) the impacts of climate change on marine fisheries, (b) the contribution of marine fisheries to climate change, (c) stakeholder perceptions and responses to climate change, and (d) adaptive management strategies for climate-resilient fisheries. Notably, recent studies have increasingly focused on carbon emissions and carbon sinks in marine fishery industries, emphasizing the need for further research into carbon reduction practices to mitigate climate change. This review identifies several challenges, including geographical disparities, knowledge inequality, "parachute science" and "helicopter research," issues with data quality and management, and inadequate capacity to adapt to climate change. Key research gaps include the limited representation of perspectives from the Global South, the absence of sustained partnerships, imbalances in research collaboration, restricted data accessibility and reliability, and an inadequate understanding of fisheries' carbon emissions. This review provides valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders, highlighting the need for strategic management approaches to mitigate adverse impacts and promote marine ecosystem sustainability.