Vulnerability of flatfish and their fisheries to climate change

Flatfishes (order Pleuonectiformes) are important to fisheries and contribute substantially to seafood production and people's livelihood. However, the sustainability of flatfish fisheries is being challenged by climate change, in addition to other non-climatic human stressors. There is an urgent need to expand our understanding of the vulnerability and risk of impacts of flatfishes and their fisheries to climate change, and identify possible options to moderate such impacts. In this paper, firstly, we explain the importance of ocean temperature and thermal characteristics of flatfishes in determining their biogeography. Secondly, we discuss the biological vulnerability of flatfishes in the world to climate change as indicated by quantitative indices estimated from a fuzzy logic algorithm. Thirdly, by presenting projections of future distribution and potential catches of exploited flatfishes from computer simulation models, we highlight specific regions and species that are expected to be most impacted by climate change. Finally, we discuss potential human interventions that could help reduce such impacts, including the potential for mariculture. This paper underscores the need for immediate actions to integrate climate change into flatfish conservation and fisheries management measures.