Future socio-economic and environmental sustainability of the Irish Sea requires a multi-disciplinary approach with industry and research collaboration, and cross-border partnership C.L. Mackenzie a, * , M.C. Bell b , S.N.R. Birchenough c , S.C. Culloty d , W.G. Sanderson e , N.M. Whiteley f , S.K. Malham a a School of Ocean Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK b International Centre for Island Technology, Heriot-Watt University, The Old Academy, Back Road, Stromness, Orkney, UK c Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK d Aquaculture & Fisheries Development Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cooperage Building, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland e School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK f School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK article info Article history: Available online 24 September 2013 abstract The Irish Sea represents a valuable resource to numerous industries, communities, and other stake- holders particularly in the areas of shellfisheries and aquaculture, energy development and ecosystem services. Climate change poses a substantial threat to marine environments in the region, with impacts exacerbated by struggles for ever limited space and resources, a pronounced need for conservation of important and vulnerable marine ecosystems, and lack of unified management. A concerted effort is required to: i) determine the impacts of climate change and potential risks to marine industry; ii) advise marine industries of future opportunities and areas of collaboration; and iii) develop coordinated marine management across the region to ensure the resource is exploited in an economically and environ- mentally sustainable manner. We propose that an Irish Sea Marine Research Forum be created that promotes a multi-disciplinary holistic research approach linking industry and research to identify and mitigate the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of climate change. Additionally, we propose that an integrated jurisdiction for the Irish Sea be formed to serve as a regulatory body on fisheries and marine policy for the entire region. Management and policy directives should consider both potential for economic development as well as protection of key environmental features and ecosystem services. Such concentrated efforts on the Irish Sea could then be used as a management model for other regional seas and resources. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The impacts of climate change to marine environments are of escalating interest and concern both to those maritime industries that subsist on marine resources and to the regional communities who depend on them economically. Globally, levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have risen substantially since pre-industrial times and continue to escalate at a rate of increase approximately one order magnitude higher than has occurred for millions of years (Guinotte and Fabry, 2008; Doney et al. 2009). Moreover, models predict current levels to continue increasing by 0.5% per year, with projections double to triple that of present-day amounts by the end of the century (Houghton et al. 2001; Guinotte and Fabry, 2008). Increases in global levels of carbon dioxide could have far-reaching implications for marine ecosystems with organisms having to contend with a number of coinciding climate-induced changes including increases in sea surface temperature and decreases in pH, salinity, oxygen content and calcium carbonate saturation (Vaquer- Sunyer and Duarte, 2008; Doney et al. 2009; Helm et al. 2010). It is essential that marine industries and other stakeholder groups prepare and adapt for these changes so as to minimize negative * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ44 (0) 1248383252. E-mail addresses: clara.mackenzie@gmail.com (C.L. Mackenzie), M.C.Bell@ hw.ac.uk (M.C. Bell), silvana.birchenough@cefas.co.uk (S.N.R. Birchenough), s.culloty@ucc.ie (S.C. Culloty), W.G.Sanderson@hw.ac.uk (W.G. Sanderson), n.m.whiteley@bangor.ac.uk (N.M. Whiteley), s.malham@bangor.ac.uk (S.K. Malham). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ocean & Coastal Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ocecoaman 0964-5691/$ e see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.08.012 Ocean & Coastal Management 85 (2013) 1e6