Human activities increase greenhouse gas emissions, unequivocally causing the global climate to change. Scientific assessments state that in addition to steep emission reductions, carbon re-moval is also needed to limit the worst impacts of climate change that would result in irreversible impacts on ecosystems and livelihoods. There is a growing interest in research and development of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), given the ocean’s natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Marine carbon dioxide removal refers to approaches that use ocean processes to enhance the natural absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by the ocean (Ocean Climate Action Plan, OCAP, 2023; Fast Track Action Committee on Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal, FTAC, 2024). This field is rapidly expanding across private, public, and academic sectors, and many initiatives have thus far overwhelmingly focused on how to measure the efficacy of approaches against the complex natural variability of the ocean ecosystem. There remains a critical need to understand the potential impacts and potential benefits of mCDR on fisheries and aquaculture management and ecosystems. The ICES Assessing/Anticipating the Impact of Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) on Fisheries and Aquaculture Species and Management Workshop brought together partici-pants across sectors, including mCDR and ocean acidification experts, fisheries managers, fish-eries industry representatives, Indigenous groups, and academic and government fisheries and aquaculture scientists. At this multi-day virtual workshop, participants learned from each other through presentations and engaged in discussions, breakout sessions, and written activities to identify key takeaways. The workshop focused on four types of mCDR: ocean alkalinity en-hancement, ocean nutrient fertilization, direct ocean capture, and macroalgae cultivation and sinking (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, NASEM, 2021). The topics that were discussed at this workshop included:
● Overview of mCDR technologies
● Current mCDR case studies
● Blue carbon in relation to mCDR
● Possible effects of mCDR techniques on marine fisheries and aquaculture species and ecosystems
● Rightsholders and invested community perceptions of mCDR
○ International and national governance of mCDR and impacts on marine spe-cies
○ Indigenous considerations and solutions for mCDR
○ Fisheries and aquaculture invested in community considerations of mCDR
This workshop closed by discussing the key takeaways and desired next steps to assess and an-ticipate possible impacts of mCDR on fisheries and aquaculture species and management. The participants are interested in developing an ICES mCDR Working Group and hosting an in-per-son ICES mCDR workshop to carry out the desired next steps.
Through this workshop, participants acknowledged the urgent need to continue discussing mCDR in the context of fisheries and aquaculture management and coastal planning. This work-shop intentionally brought together representatives from invested groups to provide a space to discuss the topics and learn from each other. Continuing this work to share knowledge and co-produce content with invested communities and rightsholders is valuable to ensure that mCDR research and development is done equitably and holistically.