Climate change taking a toll on fishery resources: KUFOS

Kochi: Climate change is taking a toll on fishery resources with consequent ocean warming and rise in sea level, posing multiple threats to the marine ecosystem, Vice Chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), B Madhusoodana Kurup, said today.

"The climate change has direct impact on ocean resources. The consequent rise of sea surface temperature and habitat destruction are causing disappearance of commercially important fish species," he said and suggested a strategic approach to substantially reduce additional carbon footprints in order to tackle the greenhouse gases.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Indo-EU concluding workshop on Marine Ecosystem and Climate in India here.

The workshop is jointly organised by KUFOS and the Nansen Environmental Research Centre-India (NERCI) under the auspices of the EU-INDO-MARECLIM project of European Union.

"Scientific community has to take steps to develop adequate technologies to reduce carbon footprints and international collaboration is necessary to undertake advanced research to tackle the issues being faced by the marine ecosystem," he said.

"There are scientific challenges for ecologists, economists, and other social scientists, in understanding how human actions affect ecosystems, the provision of ecosystem services, and the value of those services.

"An effective strategy should be designed to manage, monitor and provide incentives that reflect the social values of ecosystem services", Kurup said.

N R Menon, Coordinator of INDO-MARECLIM project and Co-Chairman of NERCI, said that the objective of the Indo-EU workshop was to establish scientific cooperation of the country and the European Union member states in the areas of monsoon studies, protection of marine ecosystem and the coastal zone management.

"The meet is aimed at initiating a tie-up with Europe to undertake serious research in the areas," he added.

Eminent oceanographers, naval exponents, maritime industrialists and environmentalists are attending the workshop that deals with the issues such as climate change, sea level variations and coastal zone management.