Editorial: Enhancing Climate Resilience in Fisheries: Strategies for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems and Communities

Rodney Tatenda Muringai^1,2*Walter Musakwa²Thomas A. Smucker³

• ¹University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
• ²University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg,, South Africa
• ³The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States

affecting habitat, stock levels, fish size and health, water quality, and ecological stability (Muruganandam et al., 2023). These changes directly impact the food security and livelihoods of communities that rely on aquatic resources. The research topic "Enhancing Climate Resilience in Fisheries: Strategies for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems and Communities" compiles interdisciplinary research aimed at identifying key climate change stressors affecting aquatic environments and proposing strategies and policies to mitigate these stressors, reduce vulnerability, and enhance adaptation in both ecosystems and dependent communities.Studies published under this topic provided valuable insights into the effects of climate change on the fisheries sector, including the sector's performance, associated challenges and opportunities and the role of innovative technologies in the sustainable management of fishery resources. Yacout et al. (2025) reviewed the current environmental, economic, and social impacts of climate change on brackish aquaculture food systems in Egypt, highlighting key challenges and opportunities. The study findings reveal that aquaculture productivity in Egyptian coastal lakes is threatened by the impacts of climate change such as declining Nile River flow, rising sea levels with expectations of salty-water intrusion, and increasing temperatures. The aquaculture sector in Egypt accounts for up to 80% of the country's fish production; hence, the impacts of climate change pose a significant threat to the sector, and any decline in aquaculture production could jeopardise national food security and the livelihoods of the small-scale farmers who are dependent on it. In addition to the adverse impacts of climate change on the fisheries sector, Hasimuna et al. (2025) postulated that Zambia's aquaculture sector faces challenges such as theft, predation, transportation of produce to the market, and local currency fluctuations. Climate change interacts with and intensifies the aforementioned stressors, thereby affecting fish productivity (Mohammed and Uraguchi, 2013;Muringai et al., 2022).In response to the challenges affecting productivity in aquatic environments and adversely affecting fishery-dependent communities, several institutions have implemented interventions at various levels to enhance productivity, promote sectoral growth, and support outcomes such as the sustainable management of aquatic environments, improved livelihoods, and climate resilience. For instance, in their study Hasimuna et al. (2025) mentioned that the Zambian government funded small-scale cage farming in Siavonga to address the socioeconomic challenges faced by the sector, resulting in improved household incomes and increased employment. In China, Yusheng et al. (2024) measured fishery eco-efficiency and empirically analysed how China's marine ranch construction improved fishery eco-efficiency using a double-difference fixed-effect model. The findings indicate that (i) the construction of marine ranches can enhance the eco-efficiency of fishing, and (ii) marine ranches enhance the ecoefficiency of fisheries by lowering pollution outputs and increasing the input efficiency of labour, fish species, fishing vessels, fishery technology expansion, and aquaculture area. Furthermore, since 2015, the fishery eco-efficiency of the marine ranch construction region has improved yearly which may be attributed to changes in technology, scale efficiency, and technical efficiency. Such interventions contribute to social, economic, and environmental sustainable development which aligns with key sustainable development goals (SDGs). Govan et al. (2024) stated that the two FishSource methods STR (Fisher rights and empowerment) and PM (Fisher participation in decision-making) are designed to evaluate how well small-scale fisheries management incorporates these two core principles. Both methods assess the presence of STR and PM in law and practice, evaluate their suitability and effectiveness for small-scale fisheries, and identify potential risks and other relevant factors affecting their implementation. These strategies also improve the climate change resilience of small-scale fisheries by promoting inclusive decision-making and adaptive capacity, increasing governance, and empowering local populations.To enhance fisheries productivity, profitability, and climate resilience in Egypt, Yacout et al. (2025) recommended (i) the expansion of integrated aquaculture fish farming in reclaimed lands, (ii) increasing fish production by converting the traditional system and semi-intensive farms to an intensive aquaculture system, (iii) developing hatcheries for fry production and maximising water return using efficient technologies such as in-pond raceways, and (iv) expanding fish farming via mega-national projects. Hasimuna et al. (2025) recommends aligning fish harvests with seasonal fishing bans, promoting local feed production, strengthening extension services and research, enhancing access to financial and technical support and integrating climate resilience strategies.The articles reveal a significant regional concentration with 50% of the studies focusing on African fisheries and 25% on China. The other 25% assessed methods in small-scale fisheries management. The uneven geographical representation of studies limits the global applicability of the findings, as most key fishing regions, such as South Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands, are underrepresented. Furthermore, 75% of the articles address climate resilience in the aquaculture sector even though capture fisheries account for around half of global fish production. Consequently, the results may reflect context-specific challenges and solutions that fall short of fully capturing the wide array of socio-ecological systems and governance frameworks found around the world. Therefore, broader geographical and thematic coverage is needed to ensure more comprehensive insights into the management and enhancement of the resilience of aquatic ecosystems under climate change and human-induced stressors.Collectively, the articles published under this topic comprehensively provide relevant information on the current state of knowledge and research in the fisheries sector, particularly in aquaculture. Aquatic food systems serve as vital sources of protein and livelihood for millions of people globally and are expected to play an increasingly critical role in meeting the nutritional demands of a growing population. Understanding the scale and complexity of climate change impacts and anthropogenic stressors on these systems is essential for informing the development of effective strategies and policy frameworks that enhance resilience and sustainability in the fisheries sector. This research topic aims to advance the dialogue, grounded in science, and drive systematic transformations toward more resilient plant food systems.