Climate change and coastal fishery species

Coastal ecosystems are highly impacted by human activities such as habitat destruction and overfishing, with impacts associated with climate change placing additional pressure on these ecosystems. These environmental changes are likely to have major implications for coastal fish species. An understanding of physiological changes is needed to reliably project the effects of climate change on animals. SAIAB’s Aquatic Ecophysiology Research Platform (AERP) provides a unique opportunity to initiate this type of research in South Africa and as such a number of projects, in collaboration with scientists from Rhodes University, are ongoing assessing the physiological impact of changing temperatures and pH on coastal fish and invertebrate species

Funding: DAFF Research and Technology Fund

Duration: 2015-2017

Researchers and collaborators:

Dr Warren Potts, Rhodes University

Dr Nikki James, SAIAB

Dr Sven Kerwath, DAFF

Dr Monica Mwale, NZG

Dr Gavin Gouws, SAIAB

Dr Nial Vine, University of Fort Hare