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SCIENCEFriday 30 October 2015

Scientists: Warming ocean factor in collapse of cod fishery

PATRICK WHITTLE what is here now,”
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — said Goethel, him-
The rapid warming of wa-
ters off New England is a key self a former mem-
factor in the collapse of the
region’s cod fishery, and ber of the fishing
changes to the species’
management are needed regulatory council.
to save one of America’s
oldest industries, according “Otherwise, we’re
to a report published Thurs-
day in Science magazine. just going to leave
Fishery managers say cod
spawning in the Gulf of enormous amounts
Maine — a key fishing area
between Cape Cod and of protein in the
Canada that touches Mas-
sachusetts, Maine and New water for no rea-
Hampshire — is only about
3 percent of sustainable son, for what’s ba-
levels, and participants in
the fishery that dates to the sically a bureau-
Colonial era face dramatic
quota cuts as a result. cratic reason.”

The scientists behind The report said
the Science report say
the warming of the Gulf of regulators need to
Maine, which accelerated
from 2004 to 2013, reduced incorporate envi-
cod’s capacity to rebound
from fishing pressure. The ronmental factors
report gives credence to
the idea — supported by in managing com-
advocacy groups, fishing
managers and even some mercial species.
fishermen — that climate
change has played a role Jud Crawford, sci-
in cod’s collapse.
The lead author of the ence and policy
study, Andrew Pershing of
the Gulf of Maine Research manager of U.S.
Institute in Portland, said
the gulf is warming at a Oceans, Northeast
rate 99 percent faster than
anywhere else in the world, for Pew Charitable

trusts, said that

A cod that will be auctioned off is held by Codie Small at the Portland Fish Exchange, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, could mean plac-

in Portland, Maine. ing a premium on
Associated Press conserving cod

and as a result, too many from more than 33 million lished science now backs habitat.

of the fish aren’t living past pounds in 2001 to less than that up. Malin Pinsky, a biology pro-

age 4 or 5. Cod can live to 5 million pounds in 2013. But he also said fishing man- fessor at Rutgers University

be older than 20. As a result, the price of lo- agers are trying to rebuild who was not involved in

“Every animal has a tem- cal cod has risen in New cod stocks to unrealistic the study, said the findings

perature range that they England. Now, much of levels, which results in low help explain the northern

prefer. The Gulf of Maine, the cod in fish and chips quotas for fishermen. In- shift in the cod’s popula-

for cod, is really at the warm there is from places such stead, he said, they should tion. Researchers reported

end of that,” Pershing said. as Iceland and Norway, set quotas that reflect the this month that numbers

“If you warm it, you push it and sometimes restaurants status of the stock. A New are improving in the colder

somewhere that’s really un- use a different species alto- England fishing regulatory waters off Newfoundland

comfortable.” gether. council voted to reduce and Labrador.

The report comes amid a the total allowable Gulf of “What we’re learning

collapse in commercial David Goethel, a biologist Maine cod catch limit from about cod are the same

catch of Atlantic cod, and longtime New Hamp- 1,550 metric tons to 386 kind of processes that are

which are also fished off shire fisherman, said the metric tons a year ago. In likely to play out in a wide

New England in Georges study is reflective of what the early 2000s, it was 8,000 range of important fish in

Bank, where the stock has he sees at sea. He said metric tons per year. this and other regions,” he

also collapsed. Catch fell it’s important that pub- “We need to manage for said.q