Ecosystem approach to harvesting in the Arctic : walking the tightrope between exploitation and conservation in the Barents Sea

Funidng: This study was supported by the Changing Arctic Ocean project MiMeMo (NE/R012679/1) jointly funded by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF/03F0801A). Brierley was also supported by ArcticPRIZE (NE/P005721/1). Pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio
Main Authors: Heath, Michael R., Benkort, Déborah, Brierley, Andrew S., Daewel, Ute, Laverick, Jack H., Proud, Roland, Speirs, Douglas C.
Other Authors: NERC, University of St Andrews. School of Biology, University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews. Pelagic Ecology Research Group, University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Acoustic data
Chlorophyll
Climate change
Ecosystem model
Fishing
Food web
GC Oceanography
GE Environmental Sciences
3rd-DAS
SDG 13 - Climate Action
SDG 14 - Life Below Water
GC
GE
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Barents Sea
Medusa
Sea ice
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10023/23946
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01616-9
Description
Summary:Funidng: This study was supported by the Changing Arctic Ocean project MiMeMo (NE/R012679/1) jointly funded by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF/03F0801A). Brierley was also supported by ArcticPRIZE (NE/P005721/1). Projecting the consequences of warming and sea-ice loss for Arctic marine food web and fisheries is challenging due to the intricate relationships between biology and ice. We used StrathE2EPolar, an end-to-end (microbes-to-megafauna) food web model incorporating ice-dependencies to simulate climate-fisheries interactions in the Barents Sea. The model was driven by output from the NEMO-MEDUSA earth system model, assuming RCP 8.5 atmospheric forcing. The Barents Sea was projected to be > 95% ice-free all year-round by the 2040s compared to > 50% in the 2010s, and approximately 2 °C warmer. Fisheries management reference points (FMSY and BMSY) for demersal fish (cod, haddock) were projected to increase by around 6%, indicating higher productivity. However, planktivorous fish (capelin, herring) reference points were projected to decrease by 15%, and upper trophic levels (birds, mammals) were strongly sensitive to planktivorous fish harvesting. The results indicate difficult trade-offs ahead, between harvesting and conservation of ecosystem structure and function. Publisher PDF Peer reviewed

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