Potential Effects of Ocean Acidification on Fisheries and Other Marine Resources

Increased uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ alters the carbonate chemistry and pH of the ocean with the potential for deleterious effects on the base of the marine food web.  Ocean acidification, therefore, is an issue of increasing concern for fisheries and other living marine resources.  Given that ocean acidification is a relatively recent area of focused research, it is challenging to understand the extent of the acidification threat to fisheries and marine ecosystems.  In this symposium we will explore the potential effects of acidification from the perspective of a range of disciplines. Topics include, modeling projected changes in ocean carbon chemistry, marine carbon monitoring, individual species’ response to increased CO₂, food web and ecosystem modeling of potential effects on fisheries as well as perspectives from the fishing and shellfish aquaculture industries about potential impacts of ocean acidification.