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Review
. 2023;106(2):381-416.
doi: 10.1007/s10641-022-01333-6. Epub 2022 Sep 12.

Cascading effects of climate change on recreational marine flats fishes and fisheries

Andy J Danylchuk  1 , Lucas P Griffin  1 , Robert Ahrens  2 , Micheal S Allen  3 , Ross E Boucek  4   5 , Jacob W Brownscombe  6 , Grace A Casselberry  1 , Sascha Clark Danylchuk  1   7 , Alex Filous  1 , Tony L Goldberg  8 , Addiel U Perez  4 , Jennifer S Rehage  5 , Rolando O Santos  9 , Jonathan Shenker  10 , JoEllen K Wilson  4 , Aaron J Adams  4   11 , Steven J Cooke  6
Affiliations
Review

Cascading effects of climate change on recreational marine flats fishes and fisheries

Andy J Danylchuk et al. Environ Biol Fishes. 2023.

Abstract

Tropical and subtropical coastal flats are shallow regions of the marine environment at the intersection of land and sea. These regions provide myriad ecological goods and services, including recreational fisheries focused on flats-inhabiting fishes such as bonefish, tarpon, and permit. The cascading effects of climate change have the potential to negatively impact coastal flats around the globe and to reduce their ecological and economic value. In this paper, we consider how the combined effects of climate change, including extremes in temperature and precipitation regimes, sea level rise, and changes in nutrient dynamics, are causing rapid and potentially permanent changes to the structure and function of tropical and subtropical flats ecosystems. We then apply the available science on recreationally targeted fishes to reveal how these changes can cascade through layers of biological organization-from individuals, to populations, to communities-and ultimately impact the coastal systems that depend on them. We identify critical gaps in knowledge related to the extent and severity of these effects, and how such gaps influence the effectiveness of conservation, management, policy, and grassroots stewardship efforts.

Keywords: Climate change; Flats fishing; Management; Nearshore; Recreational fisheries; Subtropical; Tropical.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsAndy Danylchuk, Aaron Adams, and Steve Cooke are Guest Editors of this special issue, but they had no involvement in the peer review of this article and had no access to information regarding its peer review.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Images of commonly targeted fish species in the recreational subtropical and tropical flats fishery. (a) Bonefish (Albula glossodonta). (b) Common snook (Centropomus undecimalis). (c) Red drum/redfish (Sciaenops ocellatus). (d) Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus). (e) Permit (Trachinotus falcatus). (f) Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis). Photo credits. (a) Brad Simpson/Alphonse Fishing Company. (b) Adrian Gray. (c) Steve Signberg. (d) Capt. Benny Blanco. (e) Capt. James Johnson. (f) Andy Danylchuk
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cascading effects of anthropogenic-derived climate change on subtropical and tropical flats fisheries and the coastal habitat mosaic. Arrows indicate the direction of the effect. Black dashed lines represent sources of CO2 loading that are causing physiochemical changes in coastal systems, such as increasing water temperatures and ocean acidification. Red dashed lines represent direct effects of increased CO2 on temperature regimes, and direct effects of increasing water temperature on flats fishes species and their habitats. Orange dashed lines represent cascading, compound effects related to other human activities
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Schematic diagram that integrates actors and actions with the effects of climate change on biological and ecological levels of organization that support flats fisheries. Bi-directional vectors imply cascading linkages up or down in scale/organization. Actor/actions vector reveals complementary needs that are necessary to promote positive action as it relates to the impacts of climate change of flats fisheries
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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