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McCay, B. J., Brandt, S., and Creed, C. F. 2011. Human dimensions of climate change and fisheries in a coupled system: the Atlantic surfclam case. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 1354–1367. Research on changes in a coupled marine system of the Mid-Atlantic Bight, focusing on Atlantic surfclams and the associated fishery and management system, is reviewed for how the human dimensions of this coupled socio-ecological system are addressed by the researchers. Our foci are on economic modelling of spatial choices, using dynamic optimization with adjustments that reflect better the natural and socio-economic realities of the fishery and on ethnographic observations of decision processes, particularly those of the regional fishery management council, with particular emphasis on cognitive frames and management communities. These are designed to be integrated with and to complement biophysical modelling of the complex coupled socio-ecological system.

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We compare how fisheries in three marine systems -from Atlantic Canada, Pacific Mexico, and the eastern United States -respond to significant environmental changes, whether deviation-amplifying or deviation-mitigating. We ask what triggers changes that can avert fisheries collapse and how this is affected by intersections of governance and environment. We conclude by affirming the importance of both exclusive, secure property rights, and community-oriented decision-making power in tipping the balance towards more adaptive ways of responding to environmental change.

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