Measurable climate change effects are already happening in New Zealand waters. Warming sea temperatures and ocean acidification are but two of the changes observed to date, and such changes are known to have implications for the seafood sector (i.e., aquaculture and wild-caught fisheries).
This report aims to identify risks that are likely to arise for the seafood sector as a consequence of climate change effects in coastal and offshore New Zealand waters, through the synthesis of available information on CO2 and climate-induced changes that may affect these regions and their fisheries. Changes to the physical and oceanographic system are described along with the state of knowledge of how specific fisheries are influenced by these parameters and used to determine potential risks to these fisheries.
