Marine carbon dioxide removal: How fishermen can have a voice

National Fisherman | May 28, 2025
By Sarah Schumann

mCDR is a set of experimental techniques that could someday play a major role in combating climate change by accelerating the ocean’s uptake and storing heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution from the atmosphere. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

This article is the second in a series for commercial fishermen about marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). mCDR is a set of experimental techniques that could someday play a major role in combating climate change by accelerating the ocean’s uptake and storage of heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution from the atmosphere.

In this article, we survey contemporary field-wide planning initiatives focused on supporting mCDR research and decision making. Each of these initiatives represents a potential opportunity for the fishing community to strategically engage in shaping the future of mCDR. Then, we describe early efforts to consider interactions between fisheries and mCDR. Finally, we invite fishermen and their representatives to apply to serve on a newly formed Commercial Fishing Industry Thought Leadership Forum on mCDR.