This extensive report with a global focus is the output from an FAO convened expert workshop. It outlines why fisheries are key to people across the world, stating that more than 2.8 billion people across the world, rely on aquatic foods for 20% or more of their animal protein intake. Technical discussions at the work shop were based around three comprehensive reports: Physical and ecological impacts of climate change relevant to marine and inland capture fisheries and aquaculture

This 2010 report from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on cod and climate change, supports the findings of previous work on cod and climate change in the NE Atlantic region in concluding that both temperature and fishing pressure are key to cod stocks. The summary of the report has some important findings:

This report summarises research on past and present states of north-east Atlantic cod stocks, with particular focus on the North Sea regional stocks. The relative effects of fishing pressure and climate change are examined, and the many ways in which the climate can directly and indirectly affect stock success are highlighted. The interaction between these two stressors on the North Sea cod populations is explained and recommendations made for the future assessment and management of North Sea cod stocks in the light of continued climate change.

Climate change impacts nearly every aspect of the marine environment and life in the seas, primarily, but not exclusively, through rising temperatures. In addition to the impacts of climate change on the ocean, the added CO2 in the atmosphere is having an additional impact on the ocean and life within it, that of ocean acidification.

This IUCN and Natural England report, "The Management of Natural Coastal Carbon Sinks" examines the role of coastal habitats as carbon sinks, the losses of these sinks over time and opportunities to restore coastal habitats to mitigate climate change. The report covers the potential benefits to the climate of restoring mangroves, salt marshes, sea grass beds and kelp beds. It also examines coral reefs. Restoration of these habitats for climate mitigation purposes would all have beneficial impacts on fisheries. Edited by Dan Laffoley and Gabriel Grimsditch, Nov 2009.

This 2009 report, 'The Impacts of the Oceans on Climate Change', identifies a number of vast biological and physical carbon pumps and sinks in the marine environment, dwarfing terrestrial systems, which are reducing climate change by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. The report finds, however, that as the seas warm and change due to climate change and ocean acidification, this capacity to buffer climate change can be reduced, leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere to cause additional climate change. In some cases, this seems to be underway already.

Section 1.6, fisheries and aquaculture, of this report gives some useful and inspiring examples of combining aquaculture with enhancing coastal carbon sinks. The approaches differ among and within countries but mainly constitute the integration of mangrove ponds and pens for fish and crabs (Primavera, 2000). Such systems not only sequester carbon, but they are also more resilient to shocks and extreme events and also lead to increased production due to improved ecosystem services. This report also discusses carbon uptake potentials of laminaria aquaculture.

Oceanic production of calcium carbonate is conventionally attributed to marine plankton (coccolithophores and foraminifera). This report finds that marine fish produce precipitated carbonates within their intestines and excrete these at high rates. When combined with estimates of global fish biomass, this suggests that marine fish contribute 3 to 15% of total oceanic carbonate production.