The east coast Tasmanian rock lobster fishery – vulnerability to climate change impacts and adaptation response options

Abstract

This case study examines the potential impacts of climate change on the Tasmanian rock lobster fishery, and identifies several options and opportunities for adaptation. Climate change is expected to have a significant impact on the Tasmanian rock lobster industry with declines in rock lobster biomass occurring initially in northern and north-eastern regions before eventually also declining in the south. As water temperatures increase it is also expected that the range of a damaging sea urchin will be extended. The study found that the rock lobster fishery is reasonably well placed to adapt to the challenges of climate change but identified several possible measures that will assist with this adaptation including improved catch modelling, long-term monitoring, better risk assessment, and effective education and communication with the industry. Understanding the impacts of climate change on the Tasmanian rock lobster industry is important because this fishery is ideally placed to be an ‘early warning signal’ for Australian fisheries generally.