Why You Should Care that Fish Are Shrinking

Authors

Stephanie Greene, Former Manager, BSR

Guess what? Fish are getting skimpier. And not just because of overfishing, but because of climate change. 

A recent study with a lead author from the Cemagref Public Agricultural and Environmental Research Institute in Lyon, France, found that European fish stocks have lost an average of 50 percent of their body mass over the last 20 to 30 years and smaller species are now making up a larger portion of the overall stock.

The study points to global warming as a major driving factor in this change. While commercial and recreational fishing impacted some of the fisheries, the study notes that it couldn’t be considered “the unique trigger” for the changes in size. So even if other factors may also have influence (it is often very challenging to isolate variables in studies like this), what’s important is that climate change is being singled out as the significant player.

This finding now joins a growing chorus of voices exclaiming that climate change isn’t just about mitigation (reducing your current level of emissions), it’s also about adaptation (adjusting to climate changes as they impact you, like fish stocks in your supply chain, now and in the future). It’s also a clear reminder that every company is impacted by climate change—even those who might not happen to be large emitters in their direct operations.

So how can you go beyond mitigation? To start, support strong climate policies. Companies often ask me if their support of the Copenhagen international agreements will make a difference. The answer is “yes!”—not only does every voice of support count, but alignment between a company’s public policy positioning and its operational climate targets is critical.

It’s also important to understand your company’s physical climate risks. Take a robust, risk-assessment based approach that can include examining potential “high-risk” supply inputs (such as food ingredients) and sourcing locations where climate change will have uncertain and possibly negative effects on your inputs (such as some commodities from some equatorial regions). Then assess where climate changes may most impact your business.

Otherwise, “there are no more fish in the sea” might become a reality all too quickly.