Climatic variability and climate change affect aquaculture and t he sector has begun to develop standard and general adaptation measures often including improved access to information on climate change, livelihood diversification, access to credits, improved and more resilient infrastructure etc. However, often general adaptation measures are planned and implemented without a good understanding of the specific hazards and risks they will be addressing. Often as well t he role of aquaculture planning and better management of production have not been acknowledged as a relevant first step towards adaptation . However, many types of impacts could cause effects whose magnitude would be farm-density dependent.
Following the IPCC risk framework h ere we examine the existence/implementation of a process to address and reduce risks including: Information and climatic projections, assessing risks, reduce risks through best adaptation options and ,
the role of non-regrets actions such as better planning and management. This was done by an analysis of more than 400 published papers and reports on the topic during the past 10 years. We also used 2 case studies from Chile ; salmon farming and mussel farming.
Although the understanding about climate change impacts on the sector is increasing worldwide , in most cases, especially in developing countries, the lack of spatially and temporally relevant climate change risk assessment may be an obstacle to more targeted adaptation . Only about 8% of the publications
involve field risk assessments leading to specific adaptation measures . Within this set of publications those dealing specifically with better planning and improved management as non- regret actions represents 5 %.
Chilean aquaculture is globally prominent by its salmon and mussel production. Both sectors are expose to climate change and a national research initiative, ARCLIM, allowed to develop risk maps that showed areas at higher risk due to an increasing drought which will reduce freshwater inputs to fjords and coastal zones which may increase diseases in salmon and HABs affecting both. The assessment allowed to examine ways to reduce risks including spatially reallocating production to reduce both sensitivity and exposure in certain areas . In the case of mussel farming the collection of wild spats may be at high risk and the risk reduction measures involved better management of parental mussel beds as well as better management and spatial allocation of collection systems.
The analysis of the literature and the case studies allow to underscore the need to understand the role of better planning and management as non- regret actions and first steps towards adaptation. They are also actions that give more responsibility and ownership of the adaptation process to farmers.