Potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of longline catches of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the Tasman sea

The spatial distribution of living marine resources in the Tasman Sea is expected to shift due to the impacts of global climate change. Understanding the most likely future locations of valuable pelagic species will inform the sustainable harvest and management of species such as yellowfin tuna (YFT; Thunnus albacares). We estimate future upper ocean structure in the Tasman Sea, using both historical data and dynamically downscaled ocean projections for the 2060s, and apply a catch distribution model to estimate possible changes to the YFT catch in the eastern Australia domestic longline fishery. Both approaches project that locations with concentrated YFT catch in the Tasman Sea will shift poleward in response to likely climate change. By the 2060s, the core fishing areas are projected to have shifted both poleward and offshore of existing high catch areas. Shifts in the distribution and hence availability of this species may require future domestic fishing vessels to modify their fishing behaviors, which in turn may require social and economic adjustments. Crown Copyright (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.