Climate Change and the Humboldt Current: A Frighteningly Unfunny Situation

Ah, the Humboldt Current — the cold, nutrient-rich lifeblood of Chile’s coast. It’s like the ocean’s own personal barista, serving up a caffeine boost of cold water that keeps our oceans rich and thriving. But just like my last three dates, it’s becoming less reliable. Climate change is creeping in, turning this once-bountiful current into a bit of a diva, and putting at stake 15% of the world’s wild-caught fisheries production! Yes, folks, that includes our beloved anchovies, hake, and sardines. Who knew the fish market could be so upsetting!

Now, if you thought that was grim, let’s journey further north to Canada, where climate change and biodiversity loss are lobbying to have their own movie franchise. Seriously, the impact on aquatic ecosystems is like watching a horror film unfold in real-time, with coastal and Indigenous communities lining up for the sequel—one they really didn’t want to see.

It’s a Fishy Business

The warming oceans and marine heatwaves aren’t just making the water feel like a sauna; they’re also playing a pivotal role in the decline of salmon populations in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. So, if you’re grabbing a salmon patty to shove between a bun, just know that it may become the rarest treat since my attempts at baking cookies!

Yet, representatives from Canada and Chile are stepping up, acknowledging the SATC-level threats that climate change poses to this, one of our primary industries. There’s urgency; and for some reason, perhaps the equivalent of a fishy alarm bell, these two nations are spearheading a global dialogue on the ocean and climate change. Spoiler alert: they’re not just discussing the best way to deep-fry those anchovies.

COP29: The Next Big Fish Thing

With COP29 in Baku, we witness yet another mad scramble to prioritize blue foods, which are apparently quite the hot topic. The meeting brings our fishy friends into the spotlight, as it promises to find ways to ensure that they’re not just supporting plate, but also supporting climate and development goals. It’s like a climate conference on a school lunch! But seriously, we need more financial and technological support to aid our aquatic allies!

We’re talking about climate information services that could warn fishers about extreme weather—because let’s be honest, they would probably prefer to avoid those massive waves just as I’d prefer to skip the family Christmas dinner.

Blue Foods: The Unsung Heroes

“Blue foods” sounds like the latest color trend at high-fashion week, but in reality, it refers to the aquatic foods highly traded globally. They’re vital in sustainably feeding our ever-growing population and are critical for communities with limited access to alternative protein sources. No pressure, Blue Foods!

Besides their superfood status, they have a lower carbon footprint than red meat, making them the lean, green (well, sort of) fighting machine in our fight against climate change. So, put down those beef tacos! Bivalves and seaweed are your new best friends, and they’re not even judging when you eat them like they’re chips!

Baking New Blueprints (Not Cookies)

But hold your horses—or, in this case, your fish! Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), each country’s take on climate strategy, have been shockingly neglectful of blue foods. A report released last month revealed over 80 countries didn’t even give a nod to blue foods in their NDCs. Yikes! Does anyone have a fish whistle we can blow?

Progress Can Be Fishy Too

But fear not! Chile, Peru, and Ecuador have developed an early warning system for fisheries in the Humboldt Current—imagine it like a global positioning system but for fish! This app gives fishers real-time updates about species availability, empowering them to adapt and negotiate. Meanwhile, Canada is putting its ducks (or should I say fish) in a row with an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management, making sure that fisheries honor their commitment to fishy customers!

Action is already underway to leverage and protect blue foods under climate strategies, but it doesn’t end there. More urgent steps need to be taken, ensuring transparent governance and practical, sustainable solutions. The stakes are high! Let’s keep our blue foods swimming and not let them drift away into oblivion.

Conclusion: Time to Keep it Afloat!

Folks, as climate change continues to threaten global food security, we need to ensure that our blue foods aren’t just a trendy meal option but central to our climate strategies. Let’s not wait until they become a rarity—because if you think finding a good caffeinated fish is tough, just wait until these beauties become extinct! So let’s keep the discussions rolling and the fish swimming—because we really don’t want to miss the boat!

The Humboldt Current flows northward along the picturesque coastline of Chile, delivering cold, nutrient-dense waters from Antarctica to the ocean’s surface. This phenomenon cultivates a thriving ‘blue food’ ecosystem that plays a crucial role in global fisheries.

However, the reliability of the Humboldt Current is being compromised by climate change, jeopardizing a vital ecological balance that contributes to approximately 15 percent of the world’s wild-caught fisheries output, which includes species such as anchovies, hake, and sardines.

The impacts of climate change and loss of biodiversity are also altering crucial marine and freshwater ecosystems further north in Canada.

These ecological shifts present significant risks to aquatic ecosystems, with far-reaching social, cultural, and economic consequences for fisheries, marine resource sectors, and coastal Indigenous communities that heavily depend on these resources for sustenance and livelihoods.

Warming oceans and marine heatwaves are key factors altering environmental processes, leading to marked declines in salmon populations across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

As representatives of two prominent aquatic food-producing nations, we acknowledge the existential threat that climate change poses to our primary industry.

There is immense urgency to adapt swiftly to these evolving realities. Consequently, our nations, Canada and Chile, are pioneering a global dialogue addressing the intersection of ocean health and climate change.

This dialogue was endorsed at the COP25 climate summit in Madrid in 2019. The latest annual meeting held in June focused on how the preservation, protection, and restoration of marine ecosystems can tackle both the drivers and impacts of climate change.

COP29 in Baku, which commenced last week, represents another pivotal opportunity to prioritize blue foods as a fundamental component in achieving international climate and development objectives.

To enhance this effort, we believe there is an urgent need for increased financial and technological backing. Initiatives such as climate information services can offer fishers timely alerts about extreme weather conditions, while advanced processing equipment can extend the longevity of produced seafood.

Blue foods for a green future

Blue foods, comprising both captured and farmed aquatic plants and animals from diverse water bodies, stand as the most traded food commodity globally. They are indispensable for sustainably addressing the nutritional needs of a growing population, especially for communities in developing regions lacking diverse food sources.

These food sources also present significant potential to minimize emissions from food systems and alleviate climate change impacts. Studies indicate that aquatic animals usually exhibit a lower carbon footprint compared to terrestrial meats, with some, such as bivalves and seaweeds, showing minimal to neutral greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning diets to incorporate more blue foods, in tandem with improving the efficiency of wild fishing practices, can significantly boost the environmental performance of the sector.

Adopting low-carbon aquatic foods, minimizing waste, enhancing aquaculture feed quality, and protecting carbon-sequestering blue ecosystems like mangroves are vital strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in food systems.

Covering 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, oceans constitute a key provider of blue foods and have absorbed approximately 90 percent of the excess heat caused by increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, they act as the world’s most significant carbon sink, capturing around 30 percent of anthropogenic carbon emissions. However, the dual roles of heat absorption and carbon storage lead to alterations in ocean chemistry, resulting in detrimental consequences for marine biodiversity due to warming, acidification, and deoxygenation.

Climate strategies known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) serve as essential blueprints for countries to define their emissions reduction goals, draw investment, and foster innovation in alignment with the Paris Agreement’s objectives.

The recent Ocean Dialogue report emphasized COP29 as a pivotal moment for committing to “technology needs assessments,” vital for identifying strategies for ocean climate action to inform the upcoming NDCs, anticipated for 2025. Additionally, it offers a chance to integrate blue foods into new climate targets being deliberated for the Paris Agreement’s Global Goal on Adaptation.

In a recent development, guidelines were published last month by the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and its partners to aid governments in including aquatic foods within their climate strategies.

Such frameworks are essential for the transition towards sustainable food systems, offering policymakers a range of options pertinent to various production systems and supply chains. They are urgently needed, given that over 80 nations failed to mention blue foods in their 2020 NDCs, with only 37 nations making even passing references to this crucial sector.

Making progress

In Canada and Chile, measures are already being implemented to ensure blue foods contribute to climate actions.

Chile, Peru, and Ecuador have collaboratively launched an oceanographic monitoring system featuring a mobile application that delivers real-time species availability predictions for fisheries operating in the Humboldt Current. This empowers fishers to adjust practices according to climate conditions and enhances their negotiating capacity with commercial buyers.

Chile is also advancing transparent fisheries policies aimed at combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing while promoting the sustainable utilization of marine resources. These initiatives involve substantial stakeholder participation, particularly from small-scale fishers.

Meanwhile, Canada is enacting measures to foster climate-resilient fisheries by implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management. This holistic framework considers the impacts of changing ocean environments, climate change, and biodiversity loss on fish populations.

Additionally, Canada inaugurated the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund in June 2022. This initiative allocates CA$75 million (US$53.7 million) over five years to protect and restore vital coastal and marine ecosystems.

These are merely a few tangible examples demonstrating how blue foods can be effectively integrated and safeguarded within climate strategies. However, as climate change continues to jeopardize global food security and livelihoods, concerted action is imperative to reinforce support for blue foods through sound governance and climate adaptation measures. Let us not miss the boat.