IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ieaple/v20y2020i1d10.1007_s10784-019-09452-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding the limitations of current RFMO climate change adaptation strategies: the case of the IATTC and the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Author

Listed:
  • Brian Pentz

    (University of Toronto)

  • Nicole Klenk

    (University of Toronto
    University of Toronto)

Abstract

While Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) face many challenges in their pursuit of sustainable resource development, climate change is among the most pressing and least addressed. Research has identified a host of expected or ongoing physical, biological, ecological, and social impacts of climate change on the marine environment, creating a strong climate change adaptation imperative for RFMOs. Through a case study of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), we describe two serious limitations of current RFMO climate change adaptation strategies: (1) a weakened efficacy of resource management and conservation policies caused by viewing climate change as a general climate stressor rather than a unique environmental challenge, and (2) a reliance on incremental policy reform, problematic because it may not enable a pace or scale of policy change proportional to the sustainable development challenges created by a rapidly changing ocean. We discuss the benefits and drawbacks of incrementalism and outline potential solutions to the environmental and structural challenges facing the IATTC and other RFMOs, including the concept of adaptation pathways.

Suggested Citation

  • Brian Pentz & Nicole Klenk, 2020. "Understanding the limitations of current RFMO climate change adaptation strategies: the case of the IATTC and the Eastern Pacific Ocean," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 21-39, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ieaple:v:20:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s10784-019-09452-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10784-019-09452-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10784-019-09452-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10784-019-09452-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Megan I. Saunders & Javier X. Leon & David P. Callaghan & Chris M. Roelfsema & Sarah Hamylton & Christopher J. Brown & Tom Baldock & Aliasghar Golshani & Stuart R. Phinn & Catherine E. Lovelock & Ove , 2014. "Interdependency of tropical marine ecosystems in response to climate change," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(8), pages 724-729, August.
    2. Quentin Grafton, R., 2010. "Adaptation to climate change in marine capture fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 606-615, May.
    3. Johann D. Bell & Alexandre Ganachaud & Peter C. Gehrke & Shane P. Griffiths & Alistair J. Hobday & Ove Hoegh-Guldberg & Johanna E. Johnson & Robert Le Borgne & Patrick Lehodey & Janice M. Lough & Rich, 2013. "Mixed responses of tropical Pacific fisheries and aquaculture to climate change," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(6), pages 591-599, June.
    4. Heenan, Adel & Pomeroy, Robert & Bell, Johann & Munday, Philip L. & Cheung, William & Logan, Cheryl & Brainard, Russell & Yang Amri, Affendi & Aliño, Porfirio & Armada, Nygiel & David, Laura & Rivera-, 2015. "A climate-informed, ecosystem approach to fisheries management," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 182-192.
    5. Cassandra M. Brooks & David G. Ainley & Peter A. Abrams & Paul K. Dayton & Robert J. Hofman & Jennifer Jacquet & Donald B. Siniff, 2018. "Antarctic fisheries: factor climate change into their management," Nature, Nature, vol. 558(7709), pages 177-180, June.
    6. Alistair Mcilgorm & Susan Hanna & Gunnar Knapp & Pascal Le Floc'H & Frank Millerd & Minling Pan, 2010. "How will climate change alter fishery governance? Insights from seven international case studies," Post-Print hal-00511592, HAL.
    7. Hanich, Quentin & Campbell, Brooke & Bailey, Megan & Molenaar, Erik, 2015. "Research into fisheries equity and fairness—addressing conservation burden concerns in transboundary fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 302-304.
    8. William W. L. Cheung & Reg Watson & Daniel Pauly, 2013. "Signature of ocean warming in global fisheries catch," Nature, Nature, vol. 497(7449), pages 365-368, May.
    9. Cheung, William W.L. & Jones, Miranda C. & Reygondeau, Gabriel & Stock, Charles A. & Lam, Vicky W.Y. & Frölicher, Thomas L., 2016. "Structural uncertainty in projecting global fisheries catches under climate change," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 325(C), pages 57-66.
    10. de Bruyn, Paul & Murua, Hilario & Aranda, Martín, 2013. "The Precautionary approach to fisheries management: How this is taken into account by Tuna regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs)," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 397-406.
    11. McIlgorm, Alistair & Hanna, Susan & Knapp, Gunnar & Le Floc'H, Pascal & Millerd, Frank & Pan, Minling, 2010. "How will climate change alter fishery governance[glottal stop] Insights from seven international case studies," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 170-177, January.
    12. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    13. Patrick Lehodey & Inna Senina & Beatriz Calmettes & John Hampton & Simon Nicol, 2013. "Modelling the impact of climate change on Pacific skipjack tuna population and fisheries," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 95-109, July.
    14. Daiju Narita & Katrin Rehdanz & Richard Tol, 2012. "Economic costs of ocean acidification: a look into the impacts on global shellfish production," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 1049-1063, August.
    15. Michael J. Behrenfeld & Robert T. O’Malley & David A. Siegel & Charles R. McClain & Jorge L. Sarmiento & Gene C. Feldman & Allen J. Milligan & Paul G. Falkowski & Ricardo M. Letelier & Emmanuel S. Bos, 2006. "Climate-driven trends in contemporary ocean productivity," Nature, Nature, vol. 444(7120), pages 752-755, December.
    16. Daniel Pauly & Dirk Zeller, 2016. "Catch reconstructions reveal that global marine fisheries catches are higher than reported and declining," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, April.
    17. Mark Axelrod, 2011. "Climate Change and Global Fisheries Management: Linking Issues to Protect Ecosystems or to Save Political Interests?," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 11(3), pages 64-84, August.
    18. James S. Risbey & Stephan Lewandowsky & Clothilde Langlais & Didier P. Monselesan & Terence J. O’Kane & Naomi Oreskes, 2014. "Well-estimated global surface warming in climate projections selected for ENSO phase," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(9), pages 835-840, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Matilda Petersson & Peter Stoett, 2022. "Lessons learnt in global biodiversity governance," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 333-352, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Neil Holbrook & Johanna Johnson, 2014. "Climate change impacts and adaptation of commercial marine fisheries in Australia: a review of the science," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 124(4), pages 703-715, June.
    2. Jyun-Long Chen, 2021. "Fishers’ perceptions and adaptation on climate change in northeastern Taiwan," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 611-634, January.
    3. Daiju Narita & Hans-Otto Poertner & Katrin Rehdanz, 2020. "Accounting for risk transitions of ocean ecosystems under climate change: an economic justification for more ambitious policy responses," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(1), pages 1-11, September.
    4. Ching-Hsien Ho & Huu-Sheng Lur & Ming-Hwi Yao & Fang-Ching Liao & Ying-Ting Lin & Nobuyuki Yagi & Hsueh-Jung Lu, 2018. "The impact on food security and future adaptation under climate variation: a case study of Taiwan’s agriculture and fisheries," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 311-347, March.
    5. Moh. Shadiqur Rahman & Hery Toiba & Wen-Chi Huang, 2021. "The Impact of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies on Income and Food Security: Empirical Evidence from Small-Scale Fishers in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-16, July.
    6. Jyun-Long Chen & Yao-Jen Hsiao & Kat-Kau Yip, 2021. "Risk Management of Marine Capture Fisheries under Climate Change: Taking into Consideration the Effects of Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-16, April.
    7. Aguilar Ibarra, Alonso & Sanchez Vargas, Armando & Martinez Lopez, Benjamin, 2012. "Economic impacts of climate change on two Mexican coastal fisheries: Implications to food security," Economics Discussion Papers 2012-64, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    8. Gianelli, Ignacio & Martínez, Gastón & Defeo, Omar, 2015. "An ecosystem approach to small-scale co-managed fisheries: The yellow clam fishery in Uruguay," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 196-202.
    9. Speers, Ann E. & Besedin, Elena Y. & Palardy, James E. & Moore, Chris, 2016. "Impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on coral reef fisheries: An integrated ecological–economic model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 33-43.
    10. Lydia C. L. Teh & William W. L. Cheung & Rashid Sumaila, 2022. "Assessing the Economic Contribution of Ocean-Based Activities Using the Pacific Coast of British Columbia as a Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-14, July.
    11. Evangelos Tzanatos & Dionysios Raitsos & George Triantafyllou & Stylianos Somarakis & Anastasios Tsonis, 2014. "Indications of a climate effect on Mediterranean fisheries," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 41-54, January.
    12. Quentin Grafton, R., 2010. "Adaptation to climate change in marine capture fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 606-615, May.
    13. Evans, K. & Young, J.W. & Nicol, S. & Kolody, D. & Allain, V. & Bell, J. & Brown, J.N. & Ganachaud, A. & Hobday, A.J. & Hunt, B. & Innes, J. & Gupta, A. Sen & van Sebille, E. & Kloser, R. & Patterson,, 2015. "Optimising fisheries management in relation to tuna catches in the western central Pacific Ocean: A review of research priorities and opportunities," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 94-104.
    14. Nadhéra Babali & Mohamed Kacher & Dyhia Belhabib & Ferial Louanchi & Daniel Pauly, 2018. "Recreational fisheries economics between illusion and reality: The case of Algeria," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-11, August.
    15. Andrés M Cisneros-Montemayor & Daniel Pauly & Lauren V Weatherdon & Yoshitaka Ota, 2016. "A Global Estimate of Seafood Consumption by Coastal Indigenous Peoples," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, December.
    16. Hanny John Mediodia & Viktoria Kahui & Ilan Noy, 2023. "Sea Surface Temperature and Tuna Catch in the Eastern Pacific Ocean under Climate Change," Marine Resource Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(4), pages 329-351.
    17. Bell, Johann D. & Albert, Joelle & Andréfouët, Serge & Andrew, Neil L. & Blanc, Michel & Bright, Philip & Brogan, Deidre & Campbell, Brooke & Govan, Hugh & Hampton, John & Hanich, Quentin & Harley, Sh, 2015. "Optimising the use of nearshore fish aggregating devices for food security in the Pacific Islands," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 98-105.
    18. Rosina Bierbaum & Joel Smith & Arthur Lee & Maria Blair & Lynne Carter & F. Chapin & Paul Fleming & Susan Ruffo & Missy Stults & Shannon McNeeley & Emily Wasley & Laura Verduzco, 2013. "A comprehensive review of climate adaptation in the United States: more than before, but less than needed," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 361-406, March.
    19. Rosello Mercedes, 2016. "Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Control in the Exclusive Economic Zone: a Brief Appraisal of Regulatory Deficits and Accountability Strategies," Croatian International Relations Review, Sciendo, vol. 22(75), pages 39-68, August.
    20. Morzaria-Luna, Hem Nalini & Turk-Boyer, Peggy & Moreno-Baez, Marcia, 2014. "Social indicators of vulnerability for fishing communities in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico: Implications for climate change," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 182-193.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ieaple:v:20:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s10784-019-09452-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.