An international fisheries scientist will offer a free lecture this week about fisheries management and the potential impact of climate change.

Sarah Lindley Smith, a fisheries social scientist and marine research associate with the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Centre, will host a public lecture at the Bermuda College on Thursday afternoon in collaboration with the college and the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce.

Her work is focused on supporting sustainable fisheries practices in low and middle income countries to bolster food security and livelihoods for coastal communities.

“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,” Dr Smith said.

“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 behaviours 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.”

Kim Smith, the executive director of BEST, urged the public to come out to learn more about how the changing marine ecosystem will affect the island.

“They do say that being forewarned is being forearmed,” she said. “Until a formal local action plan for adaptation and mitigation of the impacts of climate change is released here in Bermuda, we need to be gathering as much additional information as possible.”

Amy Harvey, a senior lecturer at the Bermuda College, said the ocean is an “unsung hero” that assists with climate regulation, food production and more.

“Protection of the ocean is key as it is our first line of defence along with biodiversity against climate change,” Dr Harvey said. “The coral reef ecosystems alone cover 25 per cent of the world’s biodiversity.

“The Sargasso Sea that surrounds Bermuda also produces one in every five breaths we take. It is equivalent to the Amazon rainforest.

“We look forward to hearing more about management of this precious resource from Dr Smith as we plan for our future as a small island nation that must be prepared for the impacts of climate change.”

The lecture is scheduled to take place between 1pm and 2pm in the Athene Lecture Hall, with a question and answer period to follow.

Anyone who cannot attend can watch the presentation on the Bermuda College Facebook or YouTube pages.