On September 29 - October 1, 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hosted a three-day workshop primarily focusing on current and future research as part of the Regional Integrated Science and Assessment (RISA) Program.
The RISA teams play a critical role in both NOAA's climate service efforts and the National Climate Assessment (NCA). As such, the objectives of the meeting were to:
The meeting was organized around three broad themes: (1) the state of decision support research in climate services; (2) coordinating and scoping efforts between NOAA entities supporting regional service and assessment; (3) coordinating regional climate service, assessment, and adaptation activities. Download the workshop report Looking Ahead at Climate Service, Assessment, and Adaptation to read a summary of the workshop and a synthesis of the insights and recommendations collected during the meeting. Participants included three or four researchers from each of the eleven RISA teams. They met with representatives of NOAA and over ten different internal and external NOAA partners, in many cases for the first time in the history of the program. The workshop agenda included meetings with representatives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), International Research Institute (IRI) for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia University, United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)), Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers (CSC), Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), Computer Science Corporation (CSC), Sea Grant, NOAA Regional Climate Service Directors (RCSD), Regional Climate Centers (RCCs), American Association of State Climatologists (AASC), NOAA National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), and the NOAA Coastal Services Center (NCSC).
MISSION: The Climate and Fisheries Adaptation Program (CAFA) supports targeted research to promote sustainable management, adaptation and resilience of the nation’s valuable fish stocks and fisheries-dependent communities in a changing climate. By bringing together NOAA scientists with the academic community, other federal agency scientists, non-governmental organizations and key fisheries stakeholders, CAFA addresses priority needs for information and tools identified in the 2015 NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy, Fisheries Regional Action Plans, U.S. National Climate Assessment, and other sources.
ISSUE: Healthy and productive fisheries are a significant component of the U.S. economy. Commercial and recreational marine fisheries generate over $200 billion in economic activity and support more than 1.8 million jobs annually. (FEUS 2016) Reliant and sustainable fisheries also support working waterfronts and coastal communities, provide opportunities for commerce, are tied to rich cultures, and help meet the growing demand for seafood across the U.S. and the world.
Climate variability and change are having increasing impacts on fish stocks, fisheries, and marine ecosystems in the U.S., and the impacts are expected to significantly increase with continued climate change. The changing climate and ocean conditions (e.g. warming oceans, extreme events, changing currents and stratification, coastal precipitation, coastal inundation, etc.) directly and indirectly affect marine ecosystems including the abundance, distribution, and productivity of fish stocks that support economically important fisheries. Sustainable fisheries management requires an improved understanding of how climate, fishing, and other stressors interact to affect fish stocks (including their habitats and prey), fisheries and fishing‐dependent communities.
PROGRAM HISTORY: The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Climate Program Office, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Science and Technology launched a partnership in 2014 to advance understanding of climate‐related impacts on fish or other species that support economically important fisheries and fishing communities. The partnership originated through the former Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Program and in 2021 was renamed the Climate and Fisheries Adaptation (CAFA) Program as part of the OAR/CPO Adaptation Sciences Program.
Jennifer Dopkowski NOAA Research
Climate Program Office P: (301) 734-1261 E: jennifer.dopkowski@noaa.gov
Roger Griffis NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology P: (301) 427-8134 E: roger.b.griffis@noaa.gov
Americans’ health, security and economic wellbeing are tied to climate and weather. Every day, we see communities grappling with environmental challenges due to unusual or extreme events related to climate and weather.