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

5 Discussion

5.1 Recognition of the importance of climate change to Scottish fisheries

The survey results show a strong engagement of stakeholders in the wild capture fishing sector on the subject of climate change. There is a recognition of an imminent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from activities in the sector, but a view that costs and access to innovation could be major barriers. While there is a general view of the activities that are sources of greenhouse gas emissions, coherent quantification is lacking, and often based on approximation through effort, rather than from more specific measurements.

Respondents identified the adoption of alternative fuels or propulsion systems and changes to gears as those innovations which would (in their opinion) provide the clearest mechanisms to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the sector.

5.2 Interaction between fisheries and blue carbon

Throughout the survey, there was repeated mention of the interaction between fisheries (esp. bottom contact gear) and disturbance of sedimentary and blue carbon, a clear "hot topic" for the sector. These mentions were not restricted to the specific question on the interaction of gear with natural carbon stores (Question 15; Table 6 and Figure 7b), and in the free text responses some view the interaction between fisheries and blue carbon as an opportunity for preferential access for low impact gears in such areas.

Opinions expressed in some responses suggest that the emissions due to disturbance of natural carbon stores were more significant than emissions of greenhouse gases due to fuel use. However, there was also general recognition that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions due to interaction with carbon stored in sediments and habitats was a significant knowledge gap. One response raised concern that the profile of fishing and disturbance of natural carbon stores is a response to headlines, and several others raised the need for measures to be founded on rigorous science.

The role of fish in sequestering carbon, and therefore disturbance to natural carbon stores by extraction of fish was also mentioned and recognised as an unknown in the debate.

5.3 Supporting innovation

Innovation, through changes in fuel, propulsion and gears, was seen as enabling greenhouse gas reductions from the wild capture sector. Respondents also raised some critical barriers to adopting such innovation in the industry, mainly over concerns of impacts on the business's viability and the risk of backing the wrong solutions. Some suggestions to support the adoption of innovation by industry included suitable funding mechanisms (incl. indirectly through preferential access to quota or marine space), decommissioning programmes and trials or pilot schemes.