CMFRI to launch Winter School to discuss climate change issues in marine ecosystem

The Winter School is aimed at equipping scientists, researchers and other stakeholders with the tools and requisite knowledge to assess and adapt to the changes being occurred due to climatic variations.

At a time when the recent floods in Kerala and extreme weather situations happening across the globe bear ample testimonies to climate change, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) is all set to launch a special Winter School session to discuss the emerging trends in the area of climate change and its effects on fisheries and marine ecosystem.

The 21-day long Winter School entitled 'climate change impacts and resilience options for Indian marine fisheries' will be held from November 8 to 29 at the CMFRI in which leading scientists and academicians will head the discussions. The issues such as rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and altering of aquatic ecosystem among others will be discussed in the session, in addition to finding ways and means to tackle the situation.

The Winter School is aimed at equipping scientists, researchers and other stakeholders with the tools and requisite knowledge to assess and adapt to the changes being occurred due to climatic variations.

Organised under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project at CMFRI, the programme will provide a platform for an academic-oriented discussion on a wide array of topics critical to understanding the effects of climate change, as well the development of resilience options in the area. Some of such discussion points include climate change in Indian marine fisheries context; climate change modeling; statistical analysis of climate data; coastal and species vulnerability assessment; adaptation and mitigation strategies; fostering climate resilience through technology; oceanographic sampling techniques; life cycle assessment and blue carbon estimation; geospatial techniques in marine fisheries; habitat remediation; and climate-smart village development.

Climate change and its effects were one of the foremost challenges facing fisheries sector across the world, said Dr. P U Zacharia, Principal Investigator of the NICRA project at CMFRI and course coordinator of the Winter School. "Effects such as rising ocean temperatures and ocean acidification are radically altering aquatic ecosystems, and climate change are modifying fish distribution and productivity of both marine and freshwater ecosystems, impacting the livelihoods of communities that revolve around these industries. It is the need of the hour to equip scientists and researchers with the latest technology to assess and adapt to this extreme situation, as it is highly significant to ensure the continued survival of the fishery industry in the years to come", he said.

The Winter School, which is sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is open for participants from ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, agricultural faculties in the cadre of Assistant Professors or equivalent and above. The applicants should possess a post-graduate degree in science with working knowledge on climate change and related aspects.

(With inputs from CMFRI press release)