IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE

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.