Adaptive management of fisheries in response to climate change

This case study examines the impact of climate change on the yellow clam (Mesodesma mactroides) fishery along the Atlantic coast of South America, specifically focusing on recovery and adaptive management strategies in Uruguay.

• The yellow clam, a cool-water species found on the Atlantic coast of South America, experienced mass mortalities and a long-term decline in abundance and size following a shift from a cold to a warm ocean-climate regime in the mid-1990s, which established the region as a global-warming hotspot.
• In Uruguay, the yellow clam fishery reopened 14 years after the mass mortalities using a precautionary approach that featured a conservative catch quota and the institutionalization of co-management to help stakeholders handle climate-driven stressors.
• Current challenges to the fishery include a reduction in fishable days due to unfavorable weather and more frequent, intense harmful algal blooms, which are being addressed through weekly phytoplankton and toxin monitoring to ensure seafood safety.

APA

T., B., M., V., D.J., W., J., J., R.I., P., X., M., & R., S. (2025). Adaptive management of fisheries in response to climate change. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/adaptive-management-of-fisheries-in-response-to-climate-change/

Chicago

T., Bahri,, Vasconcellos, M., Welch, D.J., Johnson, J., Perry, R.I., Ma, X., and Sharma, R. Adaptive management of fisheries in response to climate change. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/adaptive-management-of-fisheries-in-response-to-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=T. |first1=Bahri, |last2=M. |first2=Vasconcellos, |last3=D.J. |first3=Welch, |last4=J. |first4=Johnson, |last5=R.I. |first5=Perry, |last6=X. |first6=Ma, |last7=R. |first7=Sharma, |title=Adaptive management of fisheries in response to climate change |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=7 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/adaptive-management-of-fisheries-in-response-to-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{t2025adaptive, author = {T., Bahri, and M., Vasconcellos, and D.J., Welch, and J., Johnson, and R.I., Perry, and X., Ma, and R., Sharma,}, title = {{Adaptive management of fisheries in response to climate change}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/adaptive-management-of-fisheries-in-response-to-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }