Climate Change and Pacific Cod

Fisheries and the communities that depend on them must adapt to rapidly changing ocean conditions. In the North Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Pacific cod population collapsed after an extreme marine heatwave event 2014-2016.

Communities and fisheries in the GOA are still picking up the pieces after the cod collapse. We are just beginning to understand the long-term consequences of heatwaves on the Alaskan ecosystem.

This story map discusses the biological and physical events leading up to the Pacific cod collapse as well as climate-ready fishery management solutions to help the region’s managers and communities adapt to climate change.  

A keystone species in the North Pacific

• Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus is a ray-finned “true cod,” found across the continental shelf, ranging from the Yellow Sea to the Bering Strait, along the Aleutian Islands, to as far south as Los Angeles.
• Pacific Cod have 3 dorsal fins and catlike whiskers on their bottom jaw.
• They can grow to be up to 50 inches in length, 50 pounds in weight, and up to 18 years of age.
• Pacific cod swim in large schools at depths up to 3,000 feet.
• Pacific cod is a significant source of protein and vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids.
• As adults, Pacific cod are voracious predators that live near the seafloor and forage on fish, crab, shrimp, and other invertebrates.

Pacific cod are very sensitive to temperature. Pacific cod egg hatch success declines substantially in water above or below 4-5°C. Warmer waters can also harm maturing cod by reducing growth and reducing prey availability.

GOA Pacific cod are vitally important to Alaskan culture and the economy

• GOA Pacific cod support a culturally and economically important fishery in Alaska.
• GOA Pacific cod catch averaged nearly 77,000 tons from 2010 to 2016.
• In 2017, Alaska-wide Pacific cod first wholesale production value was at a 12-year peak, worth an estimated US$510 million.
• Pacific cod is also a significant protein source for human consumption internationally.

Climate change has made marine heatwave events worse around the world

The rapid shifts in the Gulf of Alaska and resultant crash in the Pacific cod stock highlight the urgent need for climate-ready fisheries management globally.

The story of Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska is part of a much larger story about the need to prepare fisheries—and adapt our management system—for climate change. It also highlights that there is not time to wait when it comes to making our fisheries ready for climate change. The impacts of climate change are happening real-time. 

Our marine ecosystem and fisheries are at a crossroads. For fisheries to survive the challenges of climate change, we need more research to understand how they will respond to changing ocean conditions. Then we need to implement robust, adaptive policies that tackle these problems head-on. Although some regional management councils are making progress on climate-ready fisheries policies, the example of Pacific cod highlights the need for national attention to this pressing issue. 

You can take action now: tell your members of Congress that you  support legislation  that will help our marine fisheries adapt to climate change.

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