The Australian Seafood Industry and Climate Change Symposium was held March 3-4, 2011. The symposium provided an opportunity for discussion of climate change impacts and responses from industry leaders, fisheries managers, and scientists. Dr.s Nadine Marshall and Renae Tobin present on how commericial fishers can better prepare for climate change.

Presentation: As global climate change continues, it has become increasingly important for Australian fishermen to reevaluate their methods. Currently, fishermen are vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to their resource dependency and low adaptive capacity. Therefore, they must focus on improving that adaptive capacity—their ability to adapt to change, to reorganize, to be flexible. In practical terms, this means that fishermen will have to consider changing the species that they fish, changing fisheries, or even leaving their fishery if necessary, an outline that has been utilized in several case studies highlighted in this presentation. In order to remain successful, fishermen should begin planning ahead now.