A study issued by the US Census Bureau shows that since 1960, there has been a steady increase in the population living in coastal areas of the United States and concludes that the trend, driven by social, economic and environmental factors, can be expected to continue (Wilson and Fischetti, 2010). The same study predicts that in 2030, 767 million people (about 11 per cent of the population of developing regions) will be living in a low-elevation coastal zone and 224 million in a 100-year floodplain. These estimates suggest greater exposure to climate hazards and thus larger climate-related human costs in the future for particular population groups if effective climate adaptation and mitigation policies are not in place. However, socioeconomic factors play a role as well: in the absence of more diversified economies that provide job opportunities in less-exposed areas, people are settling in low-lying coastal areas in search of a livelihood. However, exploitation and climate change are threatening the collapse of livelihoods derived from fishing (Jackson and others, 2001). This situation is problematic because the fishing industry has historically played a major role in providing food security and income and more recently, aquaculture has played a rapidly growing role.