Thursdays, 4:30–5:30 pm
6 January–10 March 2011
School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences
102 Fishery Sciences (auditorium)
1122 NE Boat Street (map)
University of Washington
Reception follows each talk

For more information, contact:
Trevor Branch, 206-221-0776
tbranch@u.washington.edu
courses.washington.edu/susfish

Funding for the Series is generously
provided by Tanya Bevan, friends of Don
Bevan, the UW School of Aquatic and
Fishery Sciences, and NOAA's Alaska
Fisheries Science Center and
Northwest Fisheries Science Center.

Ocean Acidification: Effects on Fisheries and Oceans

10 Feb Brad Warren

Brad Warren

Director, Productive Oceans Partnership, a program of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

Souring Oceans, Dissolving Shellfish, and the Cure for Cowardly Lions

Abstract

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.

Harry Truman

Documented evidence of ocean acidification has raised widespread concerns about the future of seafood supplies that help to feed about 3 billion people, according to UNEP. Are industrial society’s swelling emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other acidifying substances starting to erode these resources? If so, can we whip this problem, or is it time to hide under the bed?

One early bellwether may be the persistent reproductive failure experienced by the oyster industry in the Pacific Northwest. The first seafood producers to suffer (and partly overcome) severe impacts associated with “corrosive” high-CO2 seawater have been resourceful enough to produce some valuable lessons about this problem and our options for response. Based on the oyster industry’s experience, I will review current and evolving practices for monitoring seawater chemistry, adjusting production methods to manage impacts, and emerging strategies for reducing future consequences for seafood supplies.

The causes of acidification can be daunting to confront, but they are increasingly unavoidable. Many seafood producers reckon that relying on adaptation alone would mean a future of rising costs, diminishing seafood supplies, and eroding earnings. Prevention will require introduction of management systems for the carbon dioxide and nitrogen wastes that drive acidification. Although these are big problems, governments and industries have met them before. I will review lessons from experience in management of other seemingly intractable challenges, including “acid rain,” stratospheric ozone depletion, and chemical industry emissions. The results are mixed, of course, but on balance they suggest that Harry Truman might still have something to say to us today. He might tell us to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Bio

Brad Warren directs the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s (SFP’s) program on ocean acidification and related impacts, the Productive Oceans Partnership. This program works to inform and prepare the seafood industry to address challenges to fishery productivity that arise from ocean acidification and associated changes in seawater chemistry. As a journalist and consultant Brad has worked on fisheries conservation and marine resource management since the early 1980s. He was editor of Pacific Fishing from 1996 to 2004, a correspondent and editor for National Fisherman from 1981 to 1996.

Readings