WorldFish and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), on behalf of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), have published a submission to the 42nd session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 42) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) titled ‘Climate Change and Aquatic Animal Disease' on climate change impacts on aquaculture.
19 May 2015: WorldFish and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), on behalf of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), have published a submission to the 42nd session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 42) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), titled ‘Climate Change and Aquatic Animal Disease,’ which addresses climate change impacts on aquaculture.
Disease-related losses to the aquaculture industry globally being estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) at about US$6 billion annually, the publication notes that fish farms in tropical zones experience higher cumulative mortalities and faster progression of diseases that could be exacerbated by climate change. Thus, the paper stresses the need to develop stronger biosecurity governance mechanisms to manage risks associated with the spread of aquatic animal pathogens.
According to Stephen Hall, Director-General, WorldFish, 4.5 billion people get at least 15% of their average per capita intake of animal protein from fish. “Given that projections suggest that farming of fish will have to double to meet future demand,” Hall underlines the “imperative” to “gain a better understanding of how climate change will impact the farming of this valuable food crop that has such an important bearing on future global food security.”
The paper highlights risks of increased fish disease resulting from climate change and calls for a mapping of potential risks, as well as identification of suitable adaptation and mitigation intervention strategies. It also addresses increased salinity and seawater intrusion and proposes investing in breeding programmes for salinity adaptation. Key recommended research areas include: climate projections for aquaculture hot spots in the tropics; effects of climate change on fish production; and influence of climate change on fish diseases and fish yields. [Publication: Climate Change and Aquatic Animal Disease] [WorldFish Press Release]