As the senior program director, fisheries and aquaculture at Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI), I recently had the opportunity to travel to Kodiak, Alaska, with NOAA Fisheries for a meeting of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee.

This trip to Kodiak provided the backdrop for several conversations about climate change and what that means for fishing communities in Alaska and nationwide. Kodiak is said to be the third largest fishing port in U.S. by volume and Kodiak also leads Alaska in the number of fish processors.

Three examples of collapsed Alaskan fisheries were highlighted as case studies: Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod, Bering Sea snow crab and Alaskan red king crab. The alarming takeaway: human-induced warming waters are said to be the primary cause of the fisheries’ collapse.

In the case of the two crab fisheries, winter sea ice has historically created a subarctic boundary in the Bering Sea. Since 2013, winter sea ice has been decreasing and the crabs are moving north to areas where there was no fishery before – leaving behind collapsed fisheries and challenges for communities that have depended on these fisheries as core to their local economy and culture.

The trends with crustaceans in Alaska can serve as a sobering indication of what we might expect with our lobster fishery in Maine.

Maine’s wild fisheries and its burgeoning aquaculture sector are at a pivotal moment, grappling with the unprecedented challenges posed by climate change. Historical conditions are becoming increasingly irrelevant for understanding ecosystem dynamics as climate change continues to shape our future.

To ensure the survival and prosperity of Maine’s waterfront communities, adapting and evolving these industries is not just an option – it’s a necessity. Maine has already shown it can be a leader in the adoption of sustainable sea-based aquaculture by pioneering the culture of oysters and mussels for over 50 years.

Atlantic sea scallops are now on the rise and Maine is currently the top producer of kelp in the country. Given Maine’s entrepreneurial spirit and a long list of support system of organizations that have been working over the past decade to increase access to training, best practices and equipment for aquaculture, Mainers are well positioned to turn the challenge of shifting ocean conditions into an opportunity to develop a more diverse and economically sustainable blue economy.

We must continue to think of the future, innovate, invest, adapt and adjust our work and personal lifestyles to help reduce our impact on the environment.