Participants were asked to identify existing threats of concern to fisheries and rank their level of concern (Figure 3). Climate change is a threat about which 98% of respondents are “very” or “somewhat” concerned; 87% of respondents indicate that ocean acidification is of concern. Less than five percent of respondents indicate that threats such as conflicting uses (e.g., oil and gas extraction), bycatch, disease, and ocean acidification are of no concern. Scientists are the most concerned about climate change (68%) compared to other survey participants. Managers rank habitat loss or destruction (79%), climate change (64%), and depleted stocks (61%) as their biggest concerns. Fishermen rank depleted stocks (94%) as their highest concern, followed by habitat loss (66%) and climate change (54%).

Participants were asked to identify climatic changes of concern to fisheries and rank their level of concern (Figure 4). Increasing water temperatures are the most frequently expressed concern for 79% of respondents, followed by acidifying oceans (56%) and hypoxia (51%). Less than four percent of respondents indicate that threats such as changes in air and water temperature, storms, hypoxia, ocean acidification, salinity, seasonality, upwelling, currents, hydrology, and sea level rise are of no concern. Fishermen are the most concerned about changes in water temperatures (93%), followed by 82% of scientists, 76% of managers, and 68% of fishery council members or staff.

Participants were asked to identify direct and indirect climate impacts on fisheries and rank their level of concern about each (Figure 5). Overall, 94% of respondents indicate that impacts on stock productivity and species abundance are issues about which they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned, followed by critical habitat (92%) and range shifts (91% each). Over 60% of respondents are very concerned about climatic impacts on stock productivity and critical habitat. Other areas of broad concern include effects on species abundance (57%), recruitment (54%), and fish migratory patterns (51%). Among managers, the areas of broadest concern are impacts on species abundance and critical habitat, while fishermen indicate that effects on stock productivity and range shifts are their key issues. More than 60% of scientists are very concerned about effects on recruitment.