An Integrated Assessment of the Red Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) Fisheries in Southern California and Washington State: Addressing Sustainability and Vulnerability in the face of Climate Change

Abstract

Integrated assessments are a tool that can help decision makers understand complex environmental problems. Climate change has the potential to impact managed resources in terms social and economic factors, as well as causing changes to biogeochemical cycles and subsequent changes to species that these cycles affect. The U.S. west coast red sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) fisheries stand to be affected by climate change-related stressors such as ocean acidification, rising ocean temperatures, and changes in the frequency and intensity of ENSO events. An integrated assessment of the institutional and ecological contexts of two red sea urchin fishery case studies outlines existing knowledge gaps that may impede management efforts when it comes to the sustainability and vulnerability of these marine resources under threats from climate change.