An annotated literature database to support research on marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) and fisheries impacts

As atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations rise, research interest in marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) is accelerating due to the ocean’s role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While characterizing the carbon removal efficiency of mCDR techniques is critical, it is equally important to understand the potential implications of mCDR for environmental and ecological processes as well as ocean-dependent industries and communities, including fisheries. Though direct studies on the biological and ecosystem impacts of mCDR remain limited, decades of research in associated research fields have examined how environmental changes similar to those produced by different mCDR approaches may impact marine organisms and ecosystems. Existing literature from these broader fields can therefore offer valuable insight to the possible impacts of mCDR on biological systems. This project consolidated and annotated literature at the intersection of mCDR and fisheries to create a database of studies related to biological responses, ecosystem changes, and fisheries impacts. By structuring this literature into a searchable database, we offer the first iteration of a platform that can be used to expand the knowledge base of mCDR and accelerate synthesis of fisheries-relevant research. The open source mCDRxFisheres Literature Database, developed using the R Shiny app lit-tag-builder, contains 870 publications and provides an interactive open-source online interface for users to download, search, filter, and visualize content using mCDR and fisheries-focused annotations. Here we describe the database curation methodology, including an exploratory comparison of manual and artificial intelligence (AI) tagging methods, and present a summary of the database contents to demonstrate its application in examining the intersection of mCDR and fisheries research. We identify avenues for the research community to leverage and expand this effort to continue cultivating this database and consolidating related knowledge, including through the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) mCDR and Fisheries and Aquaculture Working Group. These efforts will help increase attention to critical research questions regarding the interaction of mCDR and fisheries, including potential positive and negative environmental, ecological, and socio-economic impacts.