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