Oral Presentation Australian Society for Fish Biology & Australian Freshwater Sciences Society Conference 2026

Beyond climate impacts: lessons from a national knowledge-exchange approach to climate adaptation in Australian fisheries and aquaculture (146640)

Gretta Pecl 1 2 , Fred Bailleul 3 , Steph Brodie 4 , Arani Chandrapavan 5 , Katie Cresswell 1 , Aysha Fleming 6 , Maree Fudge 1 2 , Beth Fulton 2 6 , Klaas Hartman 1 , Gary Jackson 5 , Rachel Kelly 1 2 , Jess Melbourne-Thomas 2 , Gabi Mocatta 2 7 , Em Ogier 1 2 , Joanna Smart 1 2 , Scott Spillias 2 6 , Ingrid van Putten 2 , Liam Fullbrook 1 2 , Julia Santana-Garcon 1 2
  1. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  2. Centre for Marine Socioecology, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  3. SARDI-PIRSA, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  4. CSIRO, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  5. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Government Westerne Australia, Perth, Western Australia
  6. CSIRO, Hobart, Australia
  7. University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

While climate adaptation is increasingly recognised as essential for fisheries and aquaculture, little is known about how adaptation is occurring in practice, what barriers constrain action, and what forms of support are most useful to industry and managers. 

Sea Change Australia is a national climate adaptation initiative bringing together fishers, aquaculture producers, managers, Traditional Owners, industry organisations and researchers to support climate resilience through knowledge exchange, co-design and learning. Since 2025, the project has engaged more than 5,100 participants through over 130 events and activities, established a network of 75 experts, developed 12 industry-led case studies, examined policy and regulatory barriers and opportunities, created a climate Q&A platform, documented adaptation stories, supported manager learning networks, and developed practical climate resources for the seafood sector. 

Across these activities, several consistent findings have emerged. First, adaptation is often driven by multiple factors and already occurring throughout the sector, but is informal, autonomous and poorly documented, limiting opportunities for wider learning and uptake. Second, stakeholders consistently seek practical, decision-relevant information rather than additional climate science alone. Third, adaptation barriers are frequently not ecological but institutional, including inflexible policy settings, fragmented governance arrangements, slow regulatory processes, high costs of diversification, and weak mechanisms for incorporating industry knowledge into decision-making.  Finally, industry and managers demonstrate willingness to adapt and collaborate, with barriers more commonly reflecting structural constraints and social factors rather than a lack of motivation. 

 

The project demonstrates the value of combining climate communication, knowledge brokerage, adaptation psychology, social learning and fisheries science to support adaptation. Findings suggest improving climate resilience requires not only better climate information, but also stronger systems for knowledge exchange, peer-to-peer and shared learning, policy flexibility, and recognition of adaptation already occurring. Sea Change provides a model for scaling adaptation learning nationally while remaining grounded in local industry experience.