Arctic Climate Change, Economy and Society

Anna Stammler-Gossmann together with the Russian project partner (Marine Informatics Company) examined Arctic fisheries, aquaculture and livelihoods in the context of climate change. The fisheries sector is one in which the industry has always had to adapt to and cope with environmental change; species variety, accessibility, and abundance has varied throughout history. The ongoing and predicted biophysical changes in the Arctic can challenge the adaptive capacity of related national economic activities in different ways. How much fish will be caught, and where the fish will be delivered has for example a significant impact on the economy of neighbouring countries, such as Russia and Norway.

The Arctic Centre research focused on global/national/regional level assessment of past and present-day impact of biophysical changes on the viability and competitiveness of the fishery sector in the Barents region. This task seeked to expand ideas about socio-economic impact in environmental governing in multiple frameworks.

Evaluation of national adaptation practices in the fishery sector focused on the analysis of national policies related to the legal framework of fishery, environmental legislation and national perspectives on integrated ocean management.