HANOI (AlertNet) - Climate change threatens to reduce catches from fisheries and worsen hunger among some of sub-Saharan Africa’s poorest people, who rely on fish as a major source of protein and earnings, according to new research from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
“When you look at Ethiopia and Kenya, for example, our study shows that a 10,000 tonne reduction in fish production would make these two countries reach a hunger level that is categorised as ‘extremely alarming’,” said Essam Yassin Mohammed, IIED researcher and co-author of the paper, which will be published in the coming months.
But policy makers have overlooked the sector in their plans to adapt to climate change, mainly because little is known about the role of fisheries in fighting poverty and food insecurity, Mohammed added.
“The main message (of the paper) is that we have failed to recognise the importance of fisheries to our national economies,” he told AlertNet at the 6th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change last week.
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