Climate resilience in the fisheries social–ecological system: Capturing opportunities from emerging species in the Gulf of Maine

ABSTRACT Climate-driven ocean warming is reshaping marine resource distributions globally. In the U.S. Northeast Shelf (NES) in particular, rising temperatures are causing economically valuable fish stocks to shift and expand their ranges, presenting challenges for fishermen, resource managers, and other stakeholders. The Gulf of Maine American lobster Homarus americanus is one affected stock that is expected to continue its northward and offshore movement. Given Maine’s reliance on its lobster fishery, building climate resilience into the fisheries social–ecological system (SES) is crucial. Although research on climate resilience in fisheries SESs is increasing, the literature lacks examples of practicable approaches. Through discussions with NES stakeholders, the expansion of mid-Atlantic Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata into the Gulf of Maine emerged as a potential diversification opportunity for Maine’s fisheries. This idea draws from a lobster trap bycatch-based approach used in southern New England. Existing management structures lack the adaptability necessary to provide new, accessible harvest opportunities (only 12% of Maine fishermen hold licenses for emerging commercial fisheries). Instead, we propose a social–ecological management framework that integrates local ecological knowledge, permits sustainable retention of climate-resilient emerging species, and supports marketing efforts to increase demand for new fisheries. Our work underscores the importance of starting small with emerging species. Although we focus on the NES, this approach may be replicated in other regions with similar fisheries SES archetypes.