The health of fisheries is critical to California’s economic, cultural and ecological vitality. But changing conditions driven by climate change, such as marine heat waves (MHWs), can impact fisheries in ways not yet fully understood. The goal of this project is to expand and improve on analyses to understand how species are responding to changing climate conditions by developing a joint fishery-species distribution model (JFSDM). This research aims to provide insight into how to improve predictions and characterize the effects climate-driven anomalies, such as MHWs, will have on the spatiotemporal distribution and overlap of fishing fleets and their catch.
The researchers will focus on the Albacore Tuna and the California Current Troll Fishery as well as Swordfish and the Northwest Atlantic Pelagic Longline Fishery as case studies to demonstrate the relevancy of these approaches and their applicability in fisheries management. This research will improve understanding and convey to stakeholders the vulnerabilities of certain regions and fisheries as MHWs are projected to become more intense and frequent in response to climate change.