Climate change to hit Africa fisheries hard: study - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Climate change to hit Africa fisheries hard: study
Thu Feb 5, 2009 11:06am EST

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

OSLO (Reuters) - African nations will be the most vulnerable
to the impact of climate change on fisheries, ranging from
damage to coral reefs to more severe river floods, according
to a study of 132 nations on Thursday.

Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo were most at
risk, according to the report which said it was the first to
rank nations by their ability to adapt economically to
projected impacts of global warming on fisheries.

-snip-

"Although warming will be most pronounced at high latitudes,
the countries with economies most vulnerable to warming-
related effects on fisheries lie in the tropics," according
to the report, published in the journal Fish and Fisheries.

-snip-

"Vulnerability was due to the combined effect of predicted
warming, the relative importance of fisheries to national
economies and diets, and limited societal capacity to adapt
to potential impacts and opportunities," it said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5144RR20090205