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SPECIES IMPACTS

There are many species in Canada that are vulnerable to ocean acidification. Across the country, research is being conducted to understand how species respond to OA (and other co-stressors, such as changing ocean temperature and oxygen levels), but there are still many unknowns.

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Below are resources summarizing our current understanding of how species are responding to OA in Canada. 

OA IN CANADA
SPECIES IMPACTS

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FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IMPACTS

FAST FACTS

  • 25% ($1.14B) of seafood species in Canada require more research on OA impacts, such as:

    • Queen/snow crab (11% or $500M)

    • Scallops (4% or $196M)

    • Fish ( 10% or $419M)

  • 49% ($2.21B) of seafood species are negatively impacted by OA

  • 23% ($1.03B) have reported mixed negative effects (negative - no effect)

  • 3% ($113M) have mixed responses (negative - positive)

Values reported here are based on seafisheries landings values and aquaculture production values reported by DFO in 2023:

1. https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/stats/commercial/land-debarq/sea-maritimes/s2023pv-eng.htm

2. https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/stats/aqua/aqua23-eng.html

*Mussels include aquaculture only

Seafood Industry Impacts by Province

FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IMPACTS BY PROVINCE

EXPLORE SPECIES IMPACTS BY REGION

PACIFIC

ARCTIC

ATLANTIC

CITATIONS

  1. Klymasz-Swartz, A. K. et al. Impact of climate change on the American lobster (Homarus americanus): Physiological responses to combined exposure of elevated temperature and pCO2. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology 235, 202–210 (2019).

  2. Menu-Courey, K. et al. Energy metabolism and survival of the juvenile recruits of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) exposed to a gradient of elevated seawater pCO2. Marine Environmental Research 143, 111–123 (2019).

  3. Keppel, E. A., Scrosati, R. A. & Courtenay, S. C. Ocean acidification decreases growth and development in American lobster (Homarus americanus) larvae. Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science 44, 61–66 (2012).

  4. Noisette, F. et al. Tolerant Larvae and Sensitive Juveniles: Integrating Metabolomics and Whole-Organism Responses to Define Life-Stage Specific Sensitivity to Ocean Acidification in the American Lobster. Metabolites 11, 584 (2021).

  5. Tai, T. C., Calosi, P., Gurney-Smith, H. J. & Cheung, W. W. L. Modelling ocean acidification effects with life stage-specific responses alters spatiotemporal patterns of catch and revenues of American lobster, Homarus americanus. Sci Rep 11, 23330 (2021).

  6. Frommel, A. Y., Carless, J., Hunt, B. P. V. & Brauner, C. J. Physiological resilience of pink salmon to naturally occurring ocean acidification. Conservation Physiology 8, 1–13 (2020).

  7. Ou, M. et al. Responses of pink salmon to CO2-induced aquatic acidification. Nature Climate Change 5, 950–957 (2015).

  8. Chemel, M. et al. Good News — Bad News: Combined Ocean Change Drivers Decrease Survival but Have No Negative Impact on Nutritional Value and Organoleptic Quality of the Northern Shrimp. Frontiers in Marine Science 7, 1–13 (2020).

  9. Guscelli, E. et al. Northern shrimp from multiple origins show similar sensitivity to global change drivers, but different cellular energetic capacity. Journal of Experimental Biology 226, jeb245400 (2023).

  10. Guscelli, E., Chabot, D., Vermandele, F., Madeira, D. & Calosi, P. All roads lead to Rome: inter-origin variation in metabolomics reprogramming of the northern shrimp exposed to global changes leads to a comparable physiological status. Front. Mar. Sci. 10, 1170451 (2023).

  11. Hans, S., Fehsenfeld, S., Treberg, J. R. & Weihrauch, D. Acid-base regulation in the Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister). Marine Biology 161, 1179–1193 (2014).

  12. Durant, A., Khodikian, E. & Porteus, C. S. Ocean acidification alters foraging behaviour in Dungeness crab through impairment of the olfactory pathway. Global Change Biology 29, 4126–4139 (2023).

  13. Fehsenfeld, S. et al. Effects of elevated seawater pCO2 on gene expression patterns in the gills of the green crab, Carcinus maenas. (2011).

  14. Clements, J. C. & Hunt, H. L. Influence of sediment acidification and water flow on sediment acceptance and dispersal of juvenile soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria L.). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 453, 62–69 (2014).

  15. Clements, J. C. & Hunt, H. L. Testing for sediment acidification effects on within-season variability in juvenile soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria) abundance on the Northern shore of the Bay of Fundy. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 471–483 (2018).

  16. Clements, J. C., Woodard, K. D. & Hunt, H. L. Porewater acidification alters the burrowing behavior and post-settlement dispersal of juvenile soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 477, 103–111 (2016).

  17. Clements, J. C., Bishop, M. M. & Hunt, H. L. Elevated temperature has adverse effects on GABA-mediated avoidance behaviour to sediment acidification in a wide-ranging marine bivalve. Marine Biology 164, 56 (2017).

  18. McGarrigle, S. A., Bishop, M. M., Dove, S. L. & Hunt, H. L. Effects of sediment and water column acidification on growth, survival, burrowing behaviour, and GABAA receptor function of benthic invertebrates. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 566, 151918 (2023).

  19. McGarrigle, S. A. & Hunt, H. L. Effects of semidiurnal water column acidification and sediment presence on growth and survival of the bivalve Mya arenaria. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 562, 151872 (2023).

  20. Clements, J. C. et al. Short-term exposure to elevated pCO2 does not affect the valve gaping response of adult eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, to acute heat shock under an ad libitum feeding regime. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 506, 9–17 (2018).

  21. Clements, J. C., Bourque, D., McLaughlin, J., Stephenson, M. & Comeau, L. A. Extreme ocean acidification reduces the susceptibility of eastern oyster shells to a polydorid parasite. Journal of Fish Diseases 40, 1573–1585 (2017).

  22. Clements, J. C., Carver, C. E., Mallet, M. A., Comeau, L. A. & Mallet, A. L. CO2-induced low pH in an eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica ) hatchery positively affects reproductive development and larval survival but negatively affects larval shape and size, with no intergenerational linkages. ICES Journal of Marine Science 78, 349–359 (2021).

  23. Nordio, D. et al. Adaption potential of Crassostrea gigas to ocean acidification and disease caused by Vibrio harveyi. ICES Journal of Marine Science 78, 360–367 (2021).

  24. Wright-LaGreca, M., Mackenzie, C. & Green, T. J. Ocean Acidification Alters Developmental Timing and Gene Expression of Ion Transport Proteins During Larval Development in Resilient and Susceptible Lineages of the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas). Mar Biotechnol 24, 116–124 (2022).

  25. Brown, N. E. M., Bernhardt, J. R. & Harley, C. D. G. Energetic context determines species and community responses to ocean acidification. Ecology 101, e03073 (2020).

  26. Zhong, K. X. et al. The prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiome of Pacific oyster spat is shaped by ocean warming but not acidification. Appl Environ Microbiol 90, e00052-24 (2024).

  27. Keppel, E. A., Scrosati, R. A. & Courtenay, S. C. Interactive effects of ocean acidification and warming on subtidal mussels and sea stars from Atlantic Canada. Marine Biology Research 11, 337–348 (2014).

  28. Clements, J. C., Hicks, C., Tremblay, R. & Comeau, L. A. Elevated seawater temperature, not pCO2, negatively affects post-spawning adult mussels (Mytilus edulis) under food limitation. Conservation Physiology 6, (2018).

  29. Brown, N. E. M., Therriault, T. W. & Harley, C. D. G. Field‐based experimental acidification alters fouling community structure and reduces diversity. Journal of Animal Ecology 85, 1328–1339 (2016).

  30. Sunday, J. M., Crim, R. N., Harley, C. D. G. & Hart, M. W. Quantifying rates of evolutionary adaptation in response to ocean acidification. PLoS ONE 6, 1–8 (2011).

  31. Thyrring, J. et al. Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts. eLife 12, e81080 (2023).

  32. Frommel, A. Y., Lye, S. L. R., Brauner, C. J. & Hunt, B. P. V. Air exposure moderates ocean acidification effects during embryonic development of intertidally spawning fish. Sci Rep 12, 12270 (2022).

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