Abstract

Climate change represents an important additional stress to the many ecological, social, and economic systems already affected by pollution, increasing resource demands, globalization, and non-sustainable management practices in the Small Island Developing States of the eastern Caribbean. Climate cbange is expected to occur at a rapid rate relative to the speed at which ecosystems can adapt and reestablish themselves. The principle effects on fisheries will be felt at national and locallevels, as centers of production are altered and changes to the ecosystems occur. Not with standing, the relatively minor impacts on fisheries initially suggested by the global community of climate change scientists, in this contribution we give consideration to some of the direct and indirect impacts on the sector as a whole.\We note that to remove the suggested impacts of climate change out of the realm of speculation and into that of probability, there is need for a futly integrated approach to vulnerability assessment. We suggest that it is also important to take into consideration the value of non-marketed goods and services such as subsistence assets, community structure, traditional skills and knowledge which would also be at risk from climate change. Policies and development programmes which seek to use natural resources in general, and fisheries resources in particular, in a sustainable manner, and which can respond effectively to cbanging conditions such as climate change need to be put in place as soon as possible if eastern Caribbean States are to survive any ofthe impacts of global climate change.

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