The study published in the journal People and Nature explores the relationship between climate change impacts and adaptive responses of coastal fishers in southern Japan. It focuses on how warming waters and strong currents are affecting macroalgal beds and leading to tropicalization, threatening temperate ecosystems worldwide. The research aims to understand how fishing communities are being affected and adapting to these changes, providing valuable insights for science and policy.
Led by Dr. Xochitl Édua Elías Ilosvay, the study was conducted at CIM-University of Vigo in Spain, with collaboration from researchers in Japan and support from local community members during field studies. Personal interviews with over a hundred fishers in 25 communities along Shikoku’s west coast were conducted to understand adaptation responses across regions with varying levels of exposure to tropicalization.
The results revealed that fishers in the central region with more dynamic tropicalization mainly adopted adaptation strategies, while non-action responses were prevalent in the southern and northern regions. The prevalence of inaction in the south, despite longer exposure to tropical changes, suggests early transformative responses may have occurred, as seen in the decline of the fishing population in the region. The willingness to implement transformative changes was more related to socio-economic circumstances than the level of exposure.
Households primarily reliant on fishing were more likely to adapt but less likely to transform, while fishers involved in coastal aquaculture were more willing to make profound changes than those engaged in extractive fishing. This highlights the importance of addressing climate change mitigation and social adaptation simultaneously to support fishers in adapting to environmental changes.
In Japan, where coastal fishing and aquaculture are significant contributors to employment and food production, the study emphasizes the need to integrate environmental, socio-economic, and cultural factors into policies to protect fishers’ livelihoods. These findings also have global implications, emphasizing the value of conducting research in climate change hotspots to anticipate and implement adaptive and transformative strategies in other regions facing climate change impacts.
Overall, the research sheds light on the complex relationship between climate change impacts and adaptive responses of coastal fishers in Japan, highlighting the importance of understanding how fishing communities are being affected and how they are adapting to changing ecosystems. By integrating environmental, socio-economic, and cultural considerations into policies, it is possible to protect the livelihoods of fishers and develop strategies that can be applied to other regions facing climate change in the future.