Fisheries Impacts: Reduced Food Production, Regional Devastation to Industry and Tourism
Global warming is expected to devastate many of the world's commercial, recreational, and sport fishing industries.
Temperature changes, poor water quality, salt water encroachment, and altered stream flows, combined with the existing
stresses of overfishing, pollution, and competing uses for water, pose a serious threat to the distribution and composition of fish
populations.
For example, global warming could result in an estimated 8 percent decrease in fish yields worldwide (Fankhauser, 1995, p.
39). In the U.S., where fishing industries contributed $14 billion to the economy in 1986, this would amount to an annual loss
of as much as $1.2 billion. Communities that depend on fisheries for their economic well-being could face significant losses.
For example, global warming will likely diminish fish and shellfish populations in Louisiana and throughout the Southeast,
placing a major strain on the region's economy (U.S. EPA, 1989, p. 323).
Global warming could also have a disastrous effect on recreational fishing. A recent EPA report shows that the availability of
various cool and cold water fish species, particularly several species of trout, would be vastly diminished as water
temperatures change. According to the study, 8 to 10 states could face a complete loss of cool water fishing in 50 to 60 years,
with 11 to 16 additional states experiencing a 50% loss (U.S. EPA, April 1995, p. ix). The associated economic losses are
estimated to be as much as $277 million per year by 2100.
Beyond the economic loss is the harm that losses in fish populations will place on ecosystems. Each species plays an important
role in the workings of our natural environment. The loss of any species will likely change forever the balance of nature.
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