QUEST Fish: biomass estimates in four weight categories for exclusive economic zones

QUEST Fish was led by Dr Manuel Barange (PML) with 18 co-investigators from POL, PML, CEFAS, University of Plymouth, University of Portsmouth, CSIC (Spain), UEA, WorldFish Centre, IPSL, ICES (Denmark), Met Office, IRD (Paris) and University of North Carolina, as part of QUEST (Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System) This dataset collection contains global fish biomass estimates from the Global Coastal-Ocean Modelling System. QUEST-Fish has delivered a near-global assessment of consequences of climate change for fisheries, demonstrating excellent and innovative bridging of marine biogeochemistry models and socio-economics. QUEST-Fish specifically focused on the added impacts that climate change is likely to cause on global fish production, and on the subsequent additional risks and vulnerabilities to human societies. The team have demonstrated the broad capability of an integrated regional coastal/shelf seas model system. The physical-ecological POLCOMS-ERSEM model that underpinned the research was developed for Europe’s regional seas. Its application to 20 Large Marine Ecosystems (coastal bioregions) worldwide, covering two-thirds of the world’s fish catch, has been critically evaluated and found adequate for most regions (the physical and biogeochemical differences of the upwelling region off Peru presents challenges, with the climate impact likely to be over-expressed in the fisheries projection output).