Adaptive management of fisheries in response to climate change

The document details the decline of the yellow clam (Mesodesma mactroides) along the Atlantic coast of South America due to rising sea surface temperatures and the subsequent recovery efforts in Uruguay. It highlights the use of co-management, conservative catch quotas, and phytoplankton monitoring as adaptive measures to build fishery resilience against climate stressors and harmful algal blooms.

• The Atlantic coast of South America is a global-warming hotspot where sea surface temperatures have risen significantly since the mid-1990s, causing mass mortalities in yellow clam populations as the warm water front shifted poleward. This has led to a long-term decline in the abundance and size of the clams, as well as worsening body condition.
• In Uruguay, the yellow clam fishery reopened 14 years after mass mortalities using a precautionary approach that included conservative catch quotas for a limited number of fishers. The establishment of co-management was essential for managing climate variations and strengthening stakeholder collaboration.
• Current challenges to the fishery include a higher frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms and unfavorable weather, which reduce fishable days. To address this, adaptive management now includes weekly monitoring of toxins and phytoplankton 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} }