Roadmap for Climate-Resilient Seafood Supply Chains
This is a practice-based extension of the Climate-Resilient Seafood Supply Chain study. You can find live updates and reflections on our blog.
We need your help in supporting New England fisheries for years to come! Submit your interest (information, events, etc) here to get involved in this unique collaborative project.
Climate Winners: a tool for supporting new england fisheries
One of the most important questions within fisheries management today is how to adapt to species shifts, which present both opportunities and challenges for communities and the fishing industry. Eating with the Ecosystem began to uncover these factors alongside URI and local seafood businesses with the Climate-Resilient Seafood Supply Chain project. A section of that project, “Climate Winners: Adapting to Shifting Species in the New England Supply Chain”, assessed the degree to which suppliers were willing to incorporate ‘climate winner species’ – commercial species whose distributions are expected to move or expand their range into New England. The results revealed four categories of business models, or ‘typologies’, each with different sizes and strategies, and relatedly, varied degrees of preparedness to incorporate climate winners. The conclusions suggest several potential pathways for climate resilience depending on the size and structure of the business. Overall, however, many cited the same policy-based barriers to adaptation including reduced employment in the industry, inflexible management practices, and lack of consumer demand for diversified seafood, suggesting areas for improvement to get the New England supply chain climate-ready.
Our project aims
Preparing the supply chain for climate impacts requires evidence-based decision making. However, there are many challenges to knowledge mobilization for effective fisheries policy and practice. Scientific research, despite its best intentions, often remains in an academic bubble, detached from stakeholders who would benefit most from its findings. So, as this version of the project comes to a close this year, Eating with the Ecosystem has decided to mobilize our research into action.
The ‘Roadmap for Climate-Resilient Seafood Supply Chains’ aims to support climate-resilient seafood supply chains in New England. It looks towards the future and envisions the essential elements for building resilience into the future. The report will include:
Key pillars to angle the focus and strategies of the New England supply chain towards resilience
Sub-pillars representing specific steps required to achieve resilience in a particular area
Real-life examples of strategies and collaborative efforts that are promoting resilience
Climate winner species illustrated with characteristics, uses, and marketing tips
UPCOMING EVENTS AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Program Manager Nicky Roberts and Kate Masury plan to host several collaborative sessions over the course of 2024 to shape the plan:
Webinar co-hosted with the Local Catch Network (Tues January 23rd at 1 pm EST)– to listen to promising insights about business adaptability in the era of climate change and play a direct role in shaping content for the roadmap by offering initiatives, challenges, and species to be featured.
Register for the session here
Panel discussion at Maine Fishermen’s Forum (Friday March 1, 2024)- to communicate industry resilience strategies, challenges, and exciting climate winner species to diverse attendees including New England policymakers, managers, fishermen, and suppliers.
Attendance to the forum is free and there is no registration required.
Working session in conjunction with the North American Seafood Expo, Boston (Monday March 11, 2024)- devising an outline for the roadmap with 10 to 15 participants from various seafood suppliers across New England.
Are you a New England-based business? Register for our session here
Your input is crucial to ensuring the project represents as many voices as possible in the seafood supply chain. You can offer insights and/or interest in any activities related to the project on our Google Form, or email nicky@eatingwiththeecosystem.org and kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org.
This project is funded in part by the Leadership for Climate-Resilient Fisheries Fellowship.
All fish illustrations were made by the talented Siena Baldi. Filtering reality through her kaleidoscope mind, Siena invites curiosity through playfully surreal artwork that combines humor, education, and optimism in an unexpected way. With her gift for clever juxtapositions her imaginative artwork invites viewers to laugh off stress and experience a shift in perspective. Learn more at www.sienabaldi.com
