Ocean Acidification And Detrimental Effects On Alaska's Fishing Industry

Introduction Ocean Acidification has become a growing problem in fisheries with the rise of climate change, affecting marine environments by altering their species makeup and composition (Voss et al. 2015). Detrimental effects on commercial fish can often be seen in the forms of reduced life expectancy and breeding success (Voss et al. 2015). In addition to climate change, a variety of factors such as alteration of habitat, foreign species, and nutrient enhancement play a role, as these compound the problems of fisheries in the presence of ocean acidification (Le Quesne et al. 2011). In this essay I will investigate the role that ocean acidification plays on fisheries and the consequences both ecologically and economically. This includes

A large number of the marine organisms most greatly affected by ocean acidification benefit highly to Alaska’s commercial fisheries and livelihoods (Punt et al. 2014). There are therefore heavy implications to food sources if ocean acidification is not dealt with, with long term consequences as a result. High-latitude oceans around Alaska commonly have low calcium carbonate concentrations, so are more susceptible to the harm of ocean acidification than other areas (Mathis et al. 2014). Mathis et al. (2014) studied the effects of ocean acidification on two species of crab: red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) and Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) and both species showed negative responses to high carbon dioxide, lower pH waters. The red king crab had decreased growth and molting success went down in waters with a pH of 7.8, and crabs died when the pH reached 7.5. They also found that species such as these crabs that inhabit freezing cold waters have very narrow tolerances to changes in carbon dioxide levels in the water. The deep water that they inhabit make them less receptive to alterations in pH levels because their environment is usually very stable (Mathis et al. 2014). From these observations, it seems that these shelled crabs that rely on calcium carbonate have

There are many populations of mollusks that have been reduced due to acidic environments and deformations of oyster shells in waters with lower pH levels (Cooley et al. 2009). Cooley et al. (2009) observed that mollusks and crustaceans often make up the lower trophic levels in marine environments, meaning that their decline due to acidic conditions will have consequences on many other predators. When we look at an economic ramification of ocean acidification, we can look at mollusks: Cooley et al. (2009) showed that in 2007 mollusks made up for $748 million of USA ship profits with a NPV (net present value) of between $17-40 billion. With simply a 10-25% decrease in mollusk harvests from 2007 due to ocean acidification, $75-187 million in profits would disappear with a net present value loss of $1.7-10 billion (Cooley et al. 2009). In order to have decreases in carbon dioxide that are sufficient enough to circumvent the worst disasters of ocean acidification, there will have to be emissions regulations that are globally regulated. These will not come cheaply and will result in trade-offs in other parts of the economy (Hilmi et al. 2012). No matter how small the decline is in the productivity of a fishery, there will obviously be negative repercussions. There is always the possibility of focusing fishing on a “benefiting” species, but one must note that there will