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#           Vulnerability to climate change of managed stocks in the California Current large marine ecosystem      

      February 21, 2023    

**Introduction:** Understanding how abundance, productivity and distribution of individual species may respond to climate change is a critical first step towards anticipating alterations in marine ecosystem structure and function, as well as developing strategies to adapt to the full range of potential changes.

**Methods:** This study applies the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries Climate Vulnerability Assessment method to 64 federally-managed species in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem to assess their vulnerability to climate change, where vulnerability is a function of a species’ exposure to environmental change and its biological sensitivity to a set of environmental conditions, which includes components of its resiliency and adaptive capacity to respond to these new conditions.

**Results:** Overall, two-thirds of the species were judged to have Moderate or greater vulnerability to climate change, and only one species was anticipated to have a positive response. Species classified as Highly or Very Highly vulnerable share one or more characteristics including: 1) having complex life histories that utilize a wide range of freshwater and marine habitats; 2) having habitat specialization, particularly for areas that are likely to experience increased hypoxia; 3) having long lifespans and low population growth rates; and/or 4) being of high commercial value combined with impacts from non-climate stressors such as anthropogenic habitat degradation. Species with Low or Moderate vulnerability are either habitat generalists, occupy deep-water habitats or are highly mobile and likely to shift their ranges.

**Discussion:** As climate-related changes intensify, this work provides key information for both scientists and managers as they address the long-term sustainability of fisheries in the region. This information can inform near-term advice for prioritizing species-level data collection and research on climate impacts, help managers to determine when and where a precautionary approach might be warranted, in harvest or other management decisions, and help identify habitats or life history stages that might be especially effective to protect or restore.

## Citation Information

## Related Content

                  -              Connect           

#### Jason B Dunham

##### Supervisory Research Ecologist

Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

jdunham@usgs.gov

541-750-0990

#### Mark Henderson, PhD

##### Research Fish Biologist

Cooperative Research Units

mhenderson@usgs.gov

707-826-5644

## Related Content

#### Jason B Dunham

##### Supervisory Research Ecologist

Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

jdunham@usgs.gov

541-750-0990

#### Mark Henderson, PhD

##### Research Fish Biologist

Cooperative Research Units

mhenderson@usgs.gov

707-826-5644

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### Contact

####               Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Headquarters          

777 NW 9th StSuite 400Corvallis, OR97330United States

fresc_outreach@usgs.gov

541-750-1030

541-750-1069

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