Towards a computer-based decision support system for aquaculture stakeholders in Greece in the context of climate change

Abstract

Climate change constitutes an increasing concern for aquaculture. The uncertainty surrounding the future implications of this phenomenon coupled with the financial importance of the sector necessitate the development of appropriate frameworks and tools that can support management decisions and ensure the sustainability of future aquaculture production. Facilitated by emerging information technologies, decision support systems (DSSs) are becoming increasingly popular in sectors of primary production and deal with various aspects of decision-making from the operational to the strategic level. In this paper we present ongoing work, in the frame of the EU-ClimeFish Project, towards the development of a computer-based DSS that simulates and visualises the impacts of different climate change scenarios on Greek aquaculture, including economic impacts. The description contains details on the structure, constituent models, and current status of implementation of the DSS. The applicability of the generated tool in decision-making is discussed and planning for further development is outlined.

The declining availability of wild mussel seed for aquaculture in a coastal upwelling system

“…These environmental perturbations related to global change would also have an impact on reproductive seasonality (Edwards and Richardson, 2004;Philippart et al, 2012, Philippart et al, 2014 and larval survival (Poloczanska et al, 2013). However, it is important to note that climate projections are particularly inaccurate in coastal areas (Sarà et al, 2018;Stavrakidis-Zachou et al, 2018;Falconer et al, 2020). Therefore, incorporating these climate models as tools to improve the management and sustainability of mussel production requires better climate projections (Ahmed et al, 2019).…”