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Assessing Climate Vulnerability and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity in Social-Ecological Fisheries and Aquaculture Systems

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Civil Engineering Department, MANIT, Bhopal, 462003, India
  • 2Civil Engineering Department, MANIT, Bhopal, 462003, India

Res. J. Recent Sci., Volume 15, Issue (4), Pages 53-58, October,2 (2026)

Abstract

The escalating impacts of anthropogenic climate change pose an existential threat to global aquatic ecosystems and the socio-economic stability of fisheries-dependent communities. This comprehensive review synthesizes empirical literature to evaluate the cascading biophysical stressors—including thermal anomalies, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and shifting current dynamics—on both wild-capture fisheries and managed aquaculture systems. Utilizing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) vulnerability framework, this paper assesses the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of small-scale fisheries (SSF) and coastal communities, highlighting their pronounced susceptibility due to localized resource dependency and limited capital mobility. Furthermore, this review critically examines behavioural, technological, and institutional adaptation strategies. For capture fisheries, resilience mechanisms encompass gear modification, target species diversification, and dynamic spatial management. In parallel, the aquaculture sector must prioritize structural and genetic innovations, such as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA). By analyzing over twenty foundational and contemporary peer-reviewed studies, this paper demonstrates that proactive, ecosystem-based management and equitable policy interventions are imperative to secure the socio-economic resilience of global fisheries livelihoods in a warming ocean.

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