Aqua-adapt: A six-step plan for more climate-resilient aquaculture

Climate change is no longer a future threat but a present reality challenging the sustainability of aquaculture worldwide. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and ocean acidification are just a few of the hazards jeopardizing the sector’s productivity. Aware of this urgency, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR) of Chile, has developed a key tool: the Framework for Aquaculture Adaptation to Climate Change (Aqua-Adapt).

This technical document presents a clear and structured roadmap for governments, producers, and all stakeholders in the sector to develop and implement effective strategies that increase aquaculture’s resilience. Aqua-Adapt is not just a theoretical document; it is a practical guide designed to turn planning into action.

The book, edited by Dr. Doris Soto, Principal Investigator at INCAR, and FAO Fisheries Officer Fernanda Garcia-Sampaio, includes a global assessment of studies on climate change adaptation in aquaculture, a proposed strategy with adaptation tools, and two case studies—one on salmon farming and another on mussel farming—which helped refine the framework to test adaptation technologies and improve its practical applicability. INCAR researchers Dr. Marcelo Fuentes, Dr. Carlos Chávez, Dr. Jorge Dresdner, Dr. Jorge León-Muñoz, and Dr. Carlos Molinet also contributed to these publications.

Key conclusions

• Aqua-Adapt is a structured six-step framework, developed by the FAO in collaboration with experts, to guide countries and the aquaculture sector in creating climate change adaptation strategies.
• The framework is based on IPCC definitions and focuses on reducing climate risks by decreasing exposure and sensitivity while increasing adaptive capacity.
• The successful application of Aqua-Adapt requires the active participation of all involved stakeholders (government, producers, scientists, communities) and the use of the best available scientific and local information.
• The framework was tested and adjusted through its application in two key case studies in Chile: salmon farming and mussel seed production, demonstrating its applicability in both large and small-scale production systems.
• Aqua-Adapt allows for the planning of both immediate (“no-regret”) adaptation measures, such as management improvements, and long-term measures (spatial planning, development of resistant strains), evaluating their cost-effectiveness.

What is Aqua-Adapt and why is it essential for the sector?

Aqua-Adapt is a framework that proposes a six-step process for building a robust and coherent adaptation strategy. Its goal is to guide users in identifying the specific climate risks their activities face, assessing their vulnerability, and selecting the most appropriate and cost-effective adaptation measures.

The framework is aligned with the principles of the Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA), meaning it promotes solutions that not only benefit production but also consider ecosystem health, human well-being, and equity for all stakeholders.

“The vulnerability of aquaculture to climate change demands urgent and practical adaptation strategies. Strengthening the sector’s resilience requires coordinated efforts at multiple levels, from farms and communities to research, innovation, and governance systems. Various studies have highlighted the need for practices more resilient to climate variability and for clearer guidance to identify effective technologies and innovations, which is what this publication aims to address,” explain the researchers in the document.

The 6 steps of the Aqua-Adapt framework for a successful adaptation strategy

The process proposed by Aqua-Adapt is logical, participatory, and based on the best available science. Its six key steps are detailed below:

Step 1: Define the Aquaculture Adaptation Unit

The first step is to clearly define the scope of the adaptation effort. Are we addressing the aquaculture sector of an entire country, a specific region, a group of species like salmonids, or a particular production system like freshwater ponds? This “adaptation unit” can range from an individual producer to a geographical or geopolitical zone, and its correct definition is crucial for the strategy to be effective.

Step 2: Assess climate projections and scenarios

One cannot plan without knowing what lies ahead. This step involves analyzing the available climate projections for the defined adaptation unit. Using scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), such as RCPs or SSPs, the goal is to understand how key variables (temperature, precipitation, etc.) will change in the short, medium, and long term.

Step 3: Conduct a risk and vulnerability assessment

This is the heart of the diagnosis. Climate risk is a function of three components:

• Hazard: The climatic event itself (e.g., a heatwave, a drought).
• Exposure: The presence of the aquaculture activity, its assets, and people in the area where the hazard occurs.
• Vulnerability: The system’s susceptibility to harm, which in turn depends on its sensitivity (how prone it is to being affected) and its adaptive capacity (the ability to adjust and recover).

Assessing these components helps to understand not only the magnitude of the risk but also which factors can be modified to reduce it.

Step 4: Design an adaptation plan

With the diagnosis complete, it is time to design the action plan. Adaptation measures should focus on reducing risk, which is achieved in three main ways:

• Reducing exposure: For example, through spatial planning that avoids locating farms in very high-risk areas.
• Reducing sensitivity: Improving biosecurity, lowering stocking densities to reduce organism stress, or promoting polyculture.
• Increasing adaptive capacity: Implementing monitoring and early warning systems, using more resilient genetic strains, or adopting new technologies like recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).

The plan must include a timeline, define responsibilities, and, very importantly, analyze the cost-effectiveness of each measure.

Step 5: Implement the strategy

This step involves putting the plan into practice. It requires proper governance, the allocation of human and financial resources, and the support of policies and incentives that facilitate the adoption of the planned measures.

Step 6: Monitor and evaluate

Adaptation is not a static process. It is essential to continuously monitor the plan’s implementation and evaluate its effectiveness. Are the implemented measures actually reducing losses? Is the strategy still relevant in light of new climate information? This feedback loop allows the plan to be adjusted and improved over time.

Practical application: Lessons from aquaculture in Chile

To validate its usefulness, Aqua-Adapt was applied to two key production systems in Chile.

• Salmon Farming: The risk of increased parasitism (like the sea louse) in salmon was assessed, a hazard intensified by rising salinity in the fjords due to reduced rainfall. The study helped identify the farming areas (SFAs) with the highest risk and model how measures like reducing biomass in critical areas or improving biosecurity could mitigate it.
• Mussel Seed Production: The risk of losing wild seed collection, which is fundamental to Chilean mussel farming and is also affected by decreased rainfall, was analyzed. Here, adaptation options included improving the management of natural beds and exploring more efficient collection systems.

These cases demonstrated that the Aqua-Adapt framework is a versatile and powerful tool for guiding decision-making, both in large-scale industrial aquaculture and in small-scale aquaculture that relies on wild resources.

Toward a more resilient future

The FAO’s Aqua-Adapt framework does not offer magic bullets, but it does provide the necessary order, structure, and logic for the aquaculture sector to face the climate challenge proactively and with sound information. It is a call to action for everyone involved, from public policymakers to producers on the water, to work together in building a stronger, more sustainable, and future-ready aquaculture.

Reference (open access)
Soto, D. & Garcia Sampaio, F., eds. 2025. Aquaculture Adaptation Framework for Climate Change (Aqua-Adapt) – A tool to support the development and implementation of strategies to improve aquaculture’s resilience to climate change. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Papers, No. 739. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6476en

Milthon Lujan

Editor at the digital magazine AquaHoy. He holds a degree in Aquaculture Biology from the National University of Santa (UNS) and a Master’s degree in Science and Innovation Management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with postgraduate diplomas in Business Innovation and Innovation Management. He possesses extensive experience in the aquaculture and fisheries sector, having led the Fisheries Innovation Unit of the National Program for Innovation in Fisheries and Aquaculture (PNIPA). He has served as a senior consultant in technology watch, an innovation project formulator and advisor, and a lecturer at UNS. He is a member of the Peruvian College of Biologists and was recognized by the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) in 2016 for his contribution to aquaculture.