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.
Below are resources summarizing our current understanding of how species are responding to OA in Canada, including our newly published OA in Canada paper with a full list of species responses!
ÉVÉNEMENTS À VENIR ET EN COURS
FROM BARCLAY, GURNEY-SMITH ET AL., 2026
Figure 4. (Barclay, Gurney-Smith et al., 2026).
Table showing species responses to OA from studies conducted in Canada. Responses are: ▼ – negative, ▲ – positive, NE – no effect, M – mixed (positive, negative, no effect), M (▼ - NE) – mixed (negative - no effect), M (NE - ▲) – mixed (no effect -positive), * - Selectively bred oysters showed increased resilience to OA. Confidence levels follow the style of IPCC WG II (IPCC, 2023) in terms of number of studies and are: ● – low, ●○ – medium low, ●● – medium, ●●○ – medium high, ●●● – high. Economic Role abbreviations: C – commercial fishery, R – recreational fishery, F – farmed/aquaculture, I – invasive species, E – endangered species. Ranges (Pacific, Arctic, Atlantic): ● – present, low evidence (1 study), ●● – present, medium evidence (2 studies), ●●● – present, high evidence (3+ studies), Ø – present, no data.
View paper here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1761703
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PARCOURIR NOS CATÉGORIES BLOG
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25% ($1.14B) of seafood species in Canada require more research on OA impacts, such as:
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Queen/snow crab (11% or $500M)
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Scallops (4% or $196M)
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Fish ( 10% or $419M)
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49% ($2.21B) of seafood species are negatively impacted by OA
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23% ($1.03B) have reported mixed negative effects (negative - no effect)
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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








