Marine consultancy ABPmer was recently commissioned by the Marine Institute as part of a successful consortium to prepare a report on climate change impacts on marine ecosystem services as part of the BlueFish Project.

BlueFish aims to improve knowledge and understanding of the marine resources of the Irish Sea and Celtic Seas by addressing knowledge gaps concerning the potential impacts of climate change on the ecosystem goods and services of the Irish and Celtic Seas and estimates of the economic cost of these impacts. A key focus of the work of the Marine Institute is on developing materials to communicate the impacts from climate change and promote cross border collaboration and community engagement in Ireland and Wales. 

This specific piece of work, led by eftec, was concerned with how the ecosystem goods and services of both the Irish and Celtic Seas, would be affected under different climate change scenarios and related climate adaptation policies.  

Suzannah Walmsley, ABPmer Fisheries specialist, said “We are delighted to support the BlueFish Project in identifying knowledge gaps in climate change impacts on the Irish and Celtic Seas and their coastal communities, and in communicating possible future scenarios. 

We applied our knowledge of ecosystem services and climate change modelling for Ireland gained from the Spatial Data and Evidence Project we are leading for the Marine Institute.”   

Available datasets relevant to the Ireland-Wales Programme area of the Irish and Celtic Seas were further interrogated to provide plausible scenario modelling and this analysis will be used to develop infographic material for the Marine Institute’s BlueFish portfolio. The current portfolio of graphic design and artwork is key in presenting complex concepts and scenarios to stakeholders, policy makers and to the wider community by linking art and science to demystify the potential economic impacts of climate change on coastal communities. 

The BlueFish Project is an Ireland–Wales Territorial Co-operation Operation for the Irish and Celtic Seas, focusing on cross-border collaboration, climate change and community engagement. It builds on the EU-funded SUSFISH project, which focused on guidelines for the management of shellfish fisheries in Ireland and Wales over the next 50 to 100 years.

Further information on the BlueFish Project is available here.