Ecological vulnerability of the chondrichthyan fauna of southern Australia to the stressors of climate change, fishing and other anthropogenic hazards

Authors

Terence I. Walker, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Robert W. Day, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Cynthia A. Awruch, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
Justin D. Bell, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
Juan Matias Braccini, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Derek R. Dapp, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Licia Finotto, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Lorenz H. Frick, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Karla .C. Garcés-García, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Leonardo Guida, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Charlie Huveneers, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Camila L. Martins, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Bastien E.A. Rochowski, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Javier Tovar-Ávila, Centro Regional de Investigación Pesquera Bahía de Banderas, INAPESCA, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico
Fabian I. Trinnie, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Richard D. Reina, Monash University, Victoria, Australia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-3-2021

Journal Title

Fish and Fisheries

ISSN

Print: 1467-2960 Electronic: 1467-2979

Keywords

Adaptive capacity, Ecological risk assessment, Ecological sensitivity, Productivity and susceptibility analysis, Resilience, Stress exposure

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Behavior and Ethology | Climate | Data Science | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Marine Biology | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Oceanography | Population Biology | Survival Analysis | Sustainability

Abstract

We develop a potentially widely applicable framework for analysing the vulnerability, resilience risk and exposure of chondrichthyan species to all types of anthropogenic stressors in the marine environment. The approach combines the three components of widely applied vulnerability analysis (exposure, sensitivity and adaptability) (ESA) with three components (exposure, susceptibility and productivity) (ESP) of our adaptation of productivity–susceptibility analysis (PSA). We apply our 12-step ESA‒ESP analysis to evaluate the vulnerability (risk of a marked reduction of the population) of each of 132 chondrichthyan species in the Exclusive Economic Zone of southern Australia. The vulnerability relates to a species’ resilience to a spatial (or suitability) reduction of its habitats from exposure to up to eight climate change stressors. Vulnerability also relates to anthropogenic mortality added to natural mortality from exposure to the stressors of five types of fishing and seven other types of anthropogenic hazards. We use biological attributes as risk factors to evaluate risk related to resilience at the species or higher taxonomic level. We evaluate each species’ exposure to anthropogenic stressors by assigning it to one of six ecological groups based on its lifestyle (demersal versus pelagic) and habitat, defined by bathymetric range and substrates. We evaluate vulnerability for 11 scenarios: 2000–2006 when fishing effort peaked; 2018 following a decade of fisheries management reforms; low, medium and high standard future carbon dioxide equivalent emissions scenarios; and their six possible climate–fishing combinations. Our results demonstrate the value of refugia from fishing and how climate change exacerbates the risks from fishing.

Recommended Citation

Walker TI, Day RW, Awruch CA, et al. Ecological vulnerability of the chondrichthyan fauna of southern Australia to the stressors of climate change, fishing and other anthropogenic hazards. Fish Fish. 2021; 22: 1105–1135. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12571