Publicado el 20 August, 2025 / News

FAO and Chilean experts present guide for aquaculture adaptation to climate change

Recently, FAO published Aquaculture Climate Change Adaptation Framework (Aqua-Adapt), a tool designed to support the development and implementation of strategies to enhance aquaculture resilience to climate change. It was developed in collaboration with researchers from the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), through a consultative process involving international experts from various regions.

The book, edited by Dr. Doris Soto, Principal Researcher at INCAR, and FAO Fisheries Officer Fernanda Garcia-Sampaio, includes a global assessment of studies on climate change adaptation in aquaculture, a proposed strategy and adaptation tools, and features two case studies—one on salmon farming and another on mussel farming—which helped refine the framework to test adaptation technologies and improve its practical applicability. INCAR researchers Dr. Marcelo Fuentes, Dr. Carlos Chavez, Dr. Jorge Dresdner, Dr. Jorge León-Muñoz, and Dr. Carlos Molinet also contributed to these publications.

“The vulnerability of aquaculture to climate change demands urgent and practical adaptation strategies. Strengthening the sector’s resilience requires coordinated efforts at multiple levels—from farming centers and communities to research, innovation, and governance systems. Various studies have highlighted the need for practices that are more resilient to climate variability and clearer guidance to identify effective technologies and innovations, which is precisely the aim of this publication,” explain the editors in the document.

Aqua-Adapt is based on definitions from the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and focuses on reducing risks while generating new opportunities.

The strategic framework proposes a six-step process involving key stakeholder participation and evidence-based planning:

  1. Define the adaptation unit, which may range from individual aquaculture producers or specific farming systems to the minimum geographic and/or geopolitical production unit. This unit may include one or all farmed species and associated socio-ecological systems at appropriate spatial scales.
  2. Identify and select the most suitable climate change trajectories and projection models.
  3. Conduct a risk and, where possible, vulnerability assessment of the defined unit. This crucial task involves predicting and identifying the most significant threats to guide adaptation actions and timelines using appropriately defined climate projections, scenarios, and scopes.
  4. Design an adaptation plan to reduce identified exposure and sensitivity, and increase the adaptive capacity of the adaptation unit. This includes establishing an implementation timeline (short-, medium-, and long-term actions) and selecting the best adaptation options considering effectiveness, costs, and technical challenges. Co-benefits and collateral damages, potential maladaptation (e.g., when adaptation measures increase the carbon footprint), and available human and financial resources must also be considered. Regulatory adjustments are essential for a sound plan.
  5. Implement the strategy according to the implementation plan, ensuring participatory, transparent, and evidence-based processes.
  6. Conduct continuous monitoring and evaluation to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of implemented measures, their costs and/or technical challenges, ensuring the strategy remains adaptable and improvable.

Aqua-Adapt offers a structured yet flexible approach to support climate change adaptation in aquaculture, helping stakeholders make informed decisions that reduce risks and enhance long-term resilience.

Check out the full publication here.