3. Information Needs
Survey participants were asked to identify what they need in order to effectively engage in climate-informed fisheries management. The survey questions were designed to differentiate between data needs on the physical impacts of climate change (Table 10) and associated biological and ecological responses (Table 11). Participants were asked to rank their needs on a scale of Low, Medium, or High. Forecasting data on water temperatures (84%) and ocean acidification (61%) rank as the highest needs, followed by changes in seasonality (50%) and precipitation (48%). Data on water temperatures rank the highest by fishermen, fishery council members/staff, and managers.
With respect to biological and ecological responses to the effects of climate change, forecasting data on species abundance (80%), stock productivity (79%), critical habitat (74%), and recruitment (71%) rank the highest. Data on recruitment and species abundance rank as the highest need for managers, while fishery council members/staff and fishermen rank stock productivity as their top need.
Participants were also asked what information they currently use as well as where they get this information. With respect to what information is currently used by respondents, 84% indicate that fishery and monitoring data is key, followed by other scientific research (81%), stock assessments (80%), and traditional knowledge (74%) (Table 12).
Overall, survey respondents get their information from agency reports (77%) and scientific literature (73%), followed by websites (62%), trusted colleagues (55%), and fishery management councils (43%) (Table 13). Managers rely heavily on agency reports (90%), as do scientists (81%) and fishery council members/staff (80%). Fishermen predominantly rely on information from trusted colleagues and friends (78%) as well as the scientific literature (72%). Websites are trusted information sources for 61% of fishermen, 58% of scientists, 55% of managers, and 48% of fishery council members/staff.
Table 10. Physical forecasting data needs ranked by survey respondents (n=100).
Physical Factor
Water temperatures
Ocean acidification
Seasonal changes
Precipitation
Hypoxia
Currents and water column mixing
Storms and natural variability (e.g., ENSO)
Nutrient fluxes/upwelling
Hydrology
Sea level
Air temperature
Salinity
High Medium Low
84 13 3
61 29 10
50 37 13
48 39 13
46 41 13
42 45 13
41 39 20
40 48 12
32 53 15
30 43 27
26 47 27
25 57 18
Table 11. Biological/ecological forecasting data needs ranked by survey respondents (n=100).
Biological/Ecological Factor
Species abundance
Stock productivity
Critical habitat
Recruitment
Migratory patterns
Species distribution
Water quality
Fishing pressure
Prey availability
Species composition
Non-native/invasive species
Catch patterns
Prey type
Location and number of protected species
Disease/parasites
High Medium Low
80 19 1
79 19 2
74 22 4
71 21 8
64 27 9
57 41 2
54 35 11
46 44 10
46 47 7
45 49 6
42 41 17
41 49 10
38 49 13
37 42 21
33 47 20
Table 12. Information currently used to inform decisions by survey respondents (n=100).
Answer Options
Fishery and monitoring data
Scientific research
Stock assessments
Traditional knowledge
Experiences/case studies
Best practices/lessons learned
Expert network
Models - ecosystem/species
Species/Habitat vulnerability assessments
Regional vulnerability assessments
Synthesis reports
Models - atmospheric/oceanographic
Maps that indicate climate vulnerability
Training materials/courses
Guidebooks
Other (e.g., tribal elders, fisheries reports)
Response Count
84
81
80
74
64
62
56
48
46
38
37
35
34
33
14
5
Table 13. Information sources for survey respondents (n=100).
Answer Options
Reports (agency/NGO)
Peer-reviewed literature
Websites
Friends/Colleagues
Fishery Management Councils
Other (e.g., webinars, trainings)
Response Count
77
73
62
55
43
11