Sustainability | Seafood

The impact of climate change on the Seafood industry is expected to be substantial. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that: “Climate change will affect fish and their habitats. Warmer temperatures will influence the abundance, migratory patterns and mortality rates of wild fish stocks and determine what species can be farmed in certain regions. These climatic effects on fish will have social and economic consequences for people dependent on fisheries and aquaculture – from workers to coastal communities to consumers of fish." 

A report commissioned in 2021 by Fisheries New Zealand states that measurable changes are already occurring in Aotearoa waters. These changes – warming sea temperatures and ocean acidification will continue to have implications for industries such as aquaculture and wild catch fisheries.

A few examples of industry pressure due to climate change include: 

• NZ King Salmon closing three salmon farms in Marlborough last summer due to unusually high water temperatures (alongside dumping 1,269 tonnes of dead fish). NZ King Salmon reported a $55 million net loss in the last financial year.11
• Road closures in Marlborough due to extreme weather events meant that some fisheries harvests could not happen.

Māori have significant assets in the Seafood industry, but quota ownership is limited to specified management areas, and it is unclear how the impacts of warming seas will impact the cultural and economic future well-being of Māori communities.