Adaptation of inland fisheries and aquaculture to climate change

Objective: Present the current state of knowledge. Create a basis for development of recommendations for inland fisheries management.

Justification: The state of resources is directly dependent on the environmental conditions of water bodies. Species and their life stages are adapted to life in water of a certain temperature range, chemistry and  hydraulics. Fish as exothermic animals cannot regulate temperature physiologically, only behaviourally, moving between cooler and warmer zones. Therefore, the life cycle of the fish is associated with changes in temperature. The water temperature is also dependent on the quantity and quality of water.

Forecasts of climate change predict alteration of the hydrological regime, the increase in water temperature, decrease of oxygen content and increase of the toxicity of pollutants. This can cause dramatic changes in the composition and condition of fish fauna. In some areas (e.g. mountain rivers) coldwater species may be doomed to extinction and the spread of thermophilic species will be limited by hydraulic conditions. Prolonged droughts will directly affect inland fishery resources and could lead to significant economic losses. Already in the summer of 2015, many fish farmers observed  the loss caused by drying out the littoral section of their ponds.

The magnitude of these changes and their quantitative effects are still insufficiently explored. Existing knowledge is not readily available and scattered around the world. It is therefore difficult at this moment to define the forms of action that could reduce the negative impact of climate change on inland fisheries and aquaculture. Water resource managers and fishermen need scientific advice, which will determine the strategies and methods for counteracting these changes. The goal of the symposium is to create a knowledge base allowing to determine the direction of future actions and boundary conditions.

Abstracts describing  the expected impacts and mitigation strategies are welcome.