Impact of the 2014–2016 marine heatwave on US and Canada West Coast fisheries: Surprises and lessons from key case studies
Contributors: Christopher M. Free, Sean C. Anderson, Elizabeth A. Hellmers, Barbara A. Muhling, Michael O. Navarro, Kate Richerson, Lauren A. Rogers, William H. Satterthwaite, Andrew R. Thompson, Jenn M. Burt, Steven D. Gaines, Kristin N. Marshall, J. Wilson White, Lyall F. Bellquist
Organizations: Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA • Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA • Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada • California Department of Fish and Wildlife, La Jolla, CA • NOAA Fisheries, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA • Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA • Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK • NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Newport, OR • NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA • NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA • Nature United, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA • Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station and Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR • The Nature Conservancy, Sacramento, CA • Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA
Summary: Marine heatwaves are increasingly affecting marine ecosystems, with cascading impacts on coastal economies, communities, and food systems. Studies of heatwaves provide crucial insights into potential ecosystem shifts under future climate change and put fisheries social-ecological systems through “stress tests” that expose both vulnerabilities and resilience. The 2014–16 Northeast Pacific heatwave was the strongest and longest marine heatwave on record and resulted in profound ecological changes that impacted fisheries, fisheries management, and human livelihoods. Here, we synthesize the impacts of the 2014–2016 marine heatwave on US and Canada West Coast fisheries and extract key lessons for preparing global fisheries science, management, and industries for the future.