State of Play of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sectors in Québec Under Climate Change

Climate change will affect aquatic ecosystems and the sectors that depend on them, including fisheries and aquaculture. Although many studies have been conducted on the subject, they are fragmented and the findings are diffuse.

A complete overview of the situation covering all types of fishing (commercial, recreational and of subsistence) and aquaculture in both freshwater and saltwater is not available for Québec. Due to the economic importance of these sectors in Québec, particularly in its maritime regions, it appeared necessary to take stock of the knowledge and expertise available in order to guide adaptation in these sectors and to identify the research and development actions on which to focus.

This portrait covers knowledge on the physicochemical impacts of climate change on different types of aquatic environments, species of interest and their habitats.

• Produce a state of play on knowledge and expertise concerning climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors of Quebec, in order to identify the R&D activities and adaptation strategies to develop.

Based on a review of available scientific literature and expert consultations:

• Develop a biophysical and socio-economic portrait of the activity sectors (commercial aquaculture and fisheries, subsistence fishing, recreational fishing) for the regions concerned in Quebec;

• Conduct an inventory of the knowledge and expertise concerning climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors that are relevant for Quebec;

• List the main gaps identified in the literature in order to guide future applied R&D efforts.

The state of play report has four sections:

• a socio-economic portrait of the different types of fisheries and aquaculture in Québec;

• climate change in Québec;

• the impacts of climate change on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors;

• adaptation to climate change within these sectors.

The main climate changes observed which could intensify and affect the fresh and marine waters of Québec are:

• a rise in air and surface water temperature;

• changes in the precipitation regime;

• an increase in relative sea levels;

• lower water levels in the St. Lawrence River;

• reduced sea-ice cover;

• water acidification;

• a decline in dissolved oxygen concentrations;

• changes in salinity.

These changes will have impacts on aquatic species and their habitats, thereby affecting fisheries and aquaculture.

For saltwater activities such as aquaculture, commercial fisheries and the food processing industry, impacts include:

• range shifts among aquatic species in response to changing physicochemical properties and habitat quality (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen levels, etc.);

• physiological, metabolic and reproductive disruptions in aquatic species;

• the emergence and spread of invasive alien species.

For freshwater activities, such as aquaculture, commercial fisheries, recreational fishing and subsistence fishing, impacts will include:

• competition between native species and species migrating north due to climate change;

• the emergence of pathogens;

• loss of essential habitats such as spawning grounds.

There are many potential adaptation measures to address these changes, but their relevance and feasibility in Québec will need to be analyzed before they are put in place. Here are a few examples:

• diversification of exploited species to avoid overfishing;

• adjustment of fishing season dates to limit stress on species at critical times in their life cycle (reproduction, moulting, etc.);

• conservation and restoration of connectivity between aquatic habitats.

These measures, as well as existing legislation (e.g. fishing quotas) must evolve over time (adaptive management), consider the ecosystem as a whole (ecosystem-based fisheries management) and be adapted to different species’ life cycles.

This report also identifies gaps and research needs based on a review of the literature. In saltwater, gaps include the desynchronization of life cycles and nutrient cycles, species’ capacity to adapt to habitat changes (e.g. acidification), the impact of invasive species and harmful microorganisms, and changes in the nutritional and flavour quality of species being fished or raised, to name just a few. In freshwater, issues such as temperature variations in rivers, the thermal stratification of lakes and the effects of climate change on anadromous and catadromous species could be better analyzed.

This report will help guide future applied research actions to support adaptation to climate change in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Québec.

• Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ)