Analyzing Climate Change Effects on NEA Cod Stock and Fisheries

This report investigates the effects of climate change on the North East Atlantic (NEA) cod fisheries, focusing on the Norwegian share of the stock located in the Barents Sea. It employs a bioeconomic model to compare two scenarios: one with and one without climate change effects, over a fifty-year period. The study aims to identify how temperature variations influence the productivity of the cod stock and the profitability of the NEA cod fishery. The analysis addresses questions regarding climate change's impact on cod fisheries' productivity and profitability. The report is structured to introduce NEA cod fisheries, discuss climate effects, outline the bioeconomic model, present data and results, and offer conclusions and recommendations. The study considers factors like fishing pressure, changing environmental conditions, and the cod stock's resilience. It examines the effects of climate change on biological aspects like recruitment, growth, and food availability, and their subsequent effects on harvesting, productivity, and profits. The report also examines the influence of temperature variations on the spatial distribution of the cod stock and its implications for fishery economics.