Quantifying the interactive effects of ocean acidification, temperature change, and fishing behavior on population dynamics and management decisions

Project Number
E/PD-12
Project Date Range
-
Focus Area(s)
Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture

Ocean acidification (OA) and changing temperatures could alter the spatial distribution and sustainability of marine invertebrate populations, including for commercially and ecologically important species. Larvae in particular are vulnerable to OA and temperature changes and are the primary mode of connectivity among population patches of sedentary adults. The Fellow will use spatial and bioeconomic modeling to predict the interactions of OA, temperature and fishing for two populations: the commercially fished Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) on the east coast and the recreationally fished red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) on the west coast. By incorporating fishing and bioeconomic data into a population model, the Fellow will be able to produce a range of possibilities of how these effects might play out in real-world fisheries, helping to direct future data collection or management decisions.