August 19, 2022 — The silence was deafening for about 30 seconds before Jonathan Star put out a second invite for people to comment.

“This no one really wants to react to or think about?” he posed to the 84 stakeholders logged into the East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning meeting Wednesday afternoon.

The silence on the bleakest scenario offered — called “Stress Fractures” — did not last long.

“The recreational community really gets hammered with this one particularly if we talk about social justice with relation to fishing,” said Dave Monti, owner of No Fluke Charter and Fishing Tours in Rhode Island, a recreational fishing tour provider. “The urban fisherman really gets hammered on this.”

“My comment was that the Disease bullet should also include an increase/expansion of the potential parasite load,” typed Chris McDonough, a fisheries biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, in the group chat. “That may occur and potential changes in temperature regimes make it more difficult for different fish species to react positively in reducing parasite loads.”

Scenario Planning

The Scenario Planning is part of a collaborative effort by the New England Fishery Management Council, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, to stay ahead of climate change.

“We know climate change is going to change things,” Star, the event facilitator, said. “What those changes are … We’re not so sure of.”