Taking the Gulf’s Temperature
How fishermen are helping gather information for better fisheries management in a changing climate.
There’s simply no denying that climate change is driving significant shifts in our ocean ecosystems and directly affecting the fishing communities that depend on the Gulf of Maine for their livelihoods. Finding the fish and managing constraining catch quotas has always been a challenge, but adapting to shifts in species distribution and abundance has made it even more difficult than ever to run a successful business while ensuring sustainable fish stocks.
For over a decade, The Nature Conservancy has been partnering with fishermen to help tackle these and other challenges head-on. Together, we have secured long-term access to the fishery through our permit bank work. We have tested innovative gear to improve catch of target species while reducing the bycatch of unwanted fish. And we co-developed video systems to help fishermen meet monitoring requirements in a cost-effective manner. Through these partnerships, we have helped develop more sustainable fishing practices and built a foundation for climate-ready fisheries management, based on the knowledge of the men and women who know it best.
Now, as climate and fishing conditions become increasingly variable, TNC is partnering with the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, the Ocean Data Network, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Northeast Cooperative Research Branch, and others to install state-of-the-art environmental sensors on fishing vessels to collect water temperature data to help fishermen and climate scientists in the Gulf of Maine.
This valuable information helps fishermen better understand the relationship between bottom water temperatures and the species composition of their catch. For fishermen, understanding temperature differences over time, space, and depth can help them more effectively target certain species, a critically important advantage in a regulatory system that necessarily limits how many pounds of a given fish species may be caught.
Regional climate scientists are also benefiting because the collected data is being used to inform models that better describe current conditions in the Gulf and predict future changes. Rutgers University is using the data in its high-resolution ocean circulation and temperature forecasting model, Doppio. And the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems is applying it to its web-based mapping tools called the Mariner’s Dashboard. Even the U.S. Coast Guard is using it to improve the ocean circulation models they use to guide search and rescue missions.
“We are really excited to partner with fishermen who are collecting valuable temperature data that helps them and the broader climate science community in the Gulf of Maine,” says Geoff Smith, TNC in Maine’s Marine Program Director. “Nobody knows these waters better or covers more ground than the fishermen who make their living on the ocean.”
Because we have seen how this effort is complementing the NMFS Northeast Cooperative Research Branch’s e-Molt Program and other initiatives, TNC is providing additional funding to get even more sensors in the water, whether they be on fishing boats in Massachusetts and Rhode Island or on aquaculture farms in Maine through a partnership with Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center.
“The more we know about how the ocean is changing,” adds Smith, “the better equipped we are to adaptively manage the fisheries that support our coastal communities and a way of life in the Gulf of Maine.”
Nobody knows these waters better or covers more ground than the fishermen who make their living on the ocean.
More About the Gulf
Conservation on the Half Shell
Working with oysters—and oyster growers—to counter the effects of climate change.
Counting On Fish
New technology is revolutionizing how we track fish catches and yielding a treasure trove of data that is driving better management of fisheries.
Helping Maine’s Communities Prepare for Sea-Level Rise
A new tool tells first-responders and planners which streets will flood and where vulnerable citizens might lose access to help.
Will You Join Us?
Your support will help collect better ecological information in the Gulf of Maine and develop more sustainable fishing practices to ensure a healthy ocean.
