Fisheries and climate change: opinions from the wild capture fishing sector

1 Executive summary

Human activities are causing unprecedented rates of change to our climate, and the impacts of these changes are already apparent in Scottish waters. During the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, Marine Scotland launched a questionnaire to engage key stakeholders in the wild capture fishing sector on the subject of climate change. In total, 66 respondents participated, from a range of backgrounds although fishing industry representatives made up the majority of responses (59.1%). Results show strong engagement and recognition of the issues on the topic of climate change across all stakeholder groups. This included both topics relating to the emissions of greenhouse gases from the industry's activities and the need to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Key themes emerging relate to innovation in fuels, propulsion and gears to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the shared responsibility across industry, government and research communities to support the sector, and the interaction between bottom-contacting fishing gears and natural carbon stores.