BEST will hold a free lecture by Dr. Sarah Smith on “Bermuda’s fisheries management and the impacts of climate change” at Bermuda College on Thursday [April 24].

A spokesperson said, “The community is invited to attend a free lecture on Thursday, April 24th, to discover more about Bermuda’s fisheries management and the impacts of climate change, with Fisheries Social Scientist and Marine Research Associate, Dr. Sarah Smith.

“Dr. Sarah Lindley Smith is a Fisheries Social Scientist and Marine Research Associate with the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center, as well as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Rhode Island. Her current work is focused on supporting sustainable fisheries practices in Low and Middle Income Countries to promote food security and livelihoods for coastal communities.

“She also had a research interest in understanding how fishers and fishing communities adapt and respond to climate change and other impacts. In addition to fisheries, she has also worked in the areas of offshore wind, marine spatial planning, and marine conservation, both globally and in her home state of Rhode Island. She holds a PhD in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and presently lives in Bermuda with her family.”

Dr. Smith said, “As climate change causes global ocean temperatures to increase, and impacts marine ecosystems, fishery resources that people around the world rely on for food security, nutrition, and livelihoods are being impacted. Many fish stocks are on the move in response to changing water temperatures, while others are affected by ecosystem-level changes to the availability of prey or habitat.

“In response, fishers must adapt their fishing behaviors to changing conditions, which may include following fish shifting their distribution, targeting new species, or adapting in other ways. Furthermore, fisheries management must be responsive to changing fish stocks as well as the changing environmental and economic conditions that impact fisheries.”

The spokesperson said, “Dr. Sarah Lindley Smith will discuss research into some of these adaptations, how fisheries management has been addressing shifts brought about by climate change, and present case studies from fisheries around the world, including New England, the Pacific, and Madagascar.”

Read more here: https://bernews.com/2025/04/free-lecture-on-climate-change-fisheries/