Fisheries

Planning for climate-ready fisheries

Maryland's fisheries are key contributors to the state's culture and economy. Fisheries management is complex and relies on the interactions between ecological, socioeconomic, and governance components. To plan for climate-ready fisheries across Maryland's nontidal and tidal waters, adaptive management strategies should be explored for each component.

Vision for climate-ready fisheries

Maryland’s fisheries resources, fishing communities, and the ecosystems that support them are resilient to changes in the environment, especially due to climate change. Maryland builds a management system that is rooted in partnership and informed by science to support adaptive decision-making across sectors. Fisheries managers and fishing communities work proactively and optimize opportunities that arise as a result of changing natural and human environments.

CLIMATE IMPACTS

Increasing temperatures

Sea level rise

Changing precipitation patterns

More frequent storms

Ocean acidification

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Monitor changes to fish species

Integrate fisheries data with habitat and ecosystem data

Build resilient fishing infrastructure

Ensure safe and reliable public access to the water

Utilize climate data to inform adaptive management