Marine ecosystems and associated fisheries strongly support traditional owner lifestyles, livelihoods and economic activities in the Torres Strait but are increasingly at risk from climate change. Understanding the nature and extent of climate change impacts on this tropical marine socio-ecological system will help stakeholders navigate the changes, better manage risks, and adapt. Integrated multispecies models such as MICE (models of intermediate complexity for ecosystem assessment) can be used to quantify the impacts of climate change on species of ecological, cultural and economic importance. We discuss progress on the development of a MICE for the Torres Strait that builds on current biological models of key species (e.g. tropical rock lobsters, bêche-de-mer, dugongs), key habitats (e.g. seagrass, coral reefs), known environmental drivers (e.g. sea surface temperature) and two-way climate change communication with stakeholders. The MICE will be coupled to a regional 3-dimensional ocean model to investigate the impacts of climate change scenarios on fisheries in the short, medium and long-term. We provide examples of current climate adaptation measures and discuss potential new ones. This work builds on inclusive and trusted long-term partnerships with stakeholders living in a rapidly changing system.