Kimberly Oremus, the study’s author and an assistant professor at the University of Delaware, said further research is needed to measure what potential impact climate change will have on Atlantic Canada’s fishing jobs.

She said it’s possible the region’s fish stocks – and fish harvesting jobs – could see some gains initially, but that with continued warming the longer-term impact could shift again.

“Even if you get some better boom years, you might get some really bad bust years as well,” said Oremus, adding that extreme weather related to climate change could lead to more volatility in fishing sector employment.

Those extremes will make it harder for fish harvesters to make a reliable living from year-to-year, she said.

“If they have really good years and really bad years, they would have to be very savvy on how to save money to carry them over those bad years,” Oremus said.

She said fisheries management will have to be more dynamic to respond to fluctuations in fish populations.