Exposure of Mediterranean Countries to Ocean Acidification

Abstract

This study examines the potential effects of ocean acidification on countries and fisheries of the Mediterranean Sea. The implications for seafood security and supply are evaluated by examining the sensitivity of the Mediterranean to ocean acidification at chemical, biological, and macro-economic levels. The limited information available on impacts of ocean acidification on harvested (industrial, recreational, and artisanal fishing) and cultured species (aquaculture) prevents any biological impact assessment. However, it appears that non-developed nations around the Mediterranean, particularly those for which fisheries are increasing, yet rely heavily on artisanal fleets, are most greatly exposed to socioeconomic consequences from ocean acidification.

Economic impact of ocean acidification on shellfish production in Europe

“…In Europe, compared to other regions, the status of policy discussions on OA is relatively advanced (see e.g., Hilmi et al 2014). Our results, therefore, are relevant to direct policies.…”

“…So far, no study has investigated sub-national regions with a comparison of individual countries. Europe is particularly interesting for this type of regional study because of the diversity of harvested species in Europe (e.g., oysters in France and mussels on the continental North Sea coast) and the range of environmental conditions of marine waters across the region (see Hilmi et al 2014 for an overview). In addition, Europe is the second-largest global aquaculture producer of molluscs and the fourth-largest marine molluscs capture producer.…”

Impact of Ocean Acidification on Marine Organisms—Unifying Principles and New Paradigms

“…In the commercially important mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, increasing surface seawater temperature is expected to have more of an adverse impact on larval stages than ocean acidification [5]. Hilmi et al [9] call for the urgent need for this type of work on the impacts of ocean acidification on harvested (industrial, recreational, and artisanal fishing) and cultured species (aquaculture) so that we can assess the socioeconomic consequences of ocean acidification, whilst Harvey et al [2] call for integrated research from the genetic to the ecosystems level to establish the role of acclimatisation and adaptation in community and population responses to global change.…”

“…They examined the potential effects of ocean acidification on fisheries around the Mediterranean Sea basin by examining the sensitivities at the chemical, biological, and macro-economic levels [9]. They found that limited information available on impacts of ocean acidification on harvested (industrial, recreational, and artisanal fishing) and cultured species (aquaculture) is a major research gap.…”

Socio-economic impacts of ocean acidification in the Mediterranean Sea

“…Most of the published studies identify the combined ecological and economic implications of OA [11,12,13]; the socio-economic dimensions that are at stake (e.g., fisheries revenues, jobs, and food security) [13][14][15][16][17]; distributional issues in the impacts of OA [17,18]; the need to respond to OA at the policy level [19][20][21][22][23]; and the conditions for good economic research on OA [12,24].…”