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SCIENCEFriday 5 February 2016
Report: Climate change threatens food fish in Northeast
PATRICK WHITTLE In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 photo redfish are displayed at the Portland Fish Exchange in Port- Hare said researchers stud-
Associated Press land, Maine. Fishermen are being forced to start adapting more quickly to changing fish stocks in ied how vulnerable the
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — ocean and market new species based on what is available. As a result, more former “trash” fish species are to changes in
Fish and shellfish that hu- such as redfish, dogfish and skate are the wave of the future in sustainable fishing. the ocean’s temperature,
mans rely on for food and acidity, salinity and other
that are important to the Associated Press features.
economy are on a list of
Northeastern marine spe- ocean’s food web and In addition, Hare said, vertebrate species in the Also among their findings
cies considered most vul- commercially important “Those effects are going Northeast; the list also in- were:
nerable to climate change, as bait, were found to be to continue into the future. cludes some popular rec- —About half of the 82
a federal government re- highly vulnerable to cli- We’ve seen impacts in the reational marine fish and all species studied are either
port released Wednesday mate change. past, but this study provides marine fish listed or under highly vulnerable or very
and published by the jour- Lead author Jon Hare, a support for the idea that consideration for protec- highly vulnerable to cli-
nal PLOS ONE said. NOAA oceanographer those changes are going tion under the Endangered mate change. About half
The study ranged from based in Rhode Island, said to continue.” Species Act. will likely be negatively af-
Cape Hatteras, North Car- scientists found that most Changing ocean condi- fected by climate change
olina, to the Gulf of Maine of the species they studied The 82 species represent tions impact marine ani- and 20 percent will be posi-
and is the first “multispecies will be affected by climate every commercially man- mals’ reproduction, pre- tively affected by it. The im-
assessment” of the vulner- change in some way. aged marine fish and in- dation and ability to grow. pact on others appears to
ability of marine fish and be neutral, Hare said.
invertebrates to climate —Some already chal-
change, the National Oce- lenged species such as
anic and Atmospheric Ad- winter flounder are at risk.
ministration said. A series of Winter flounder have de-
similar assessments will fol- clined from a 15.3 million
low in other regions of the pound fishery in 2001 to 4.4
U.S. million pounds in 2015.
NOAA’s report assigned Peter Baker, director of
a “climate vulnerability Northeast U.S. oceans for
score” to 82 Northeastern the Pew Charitable Trusts,
fish and shellfish species. It said the report should
listed types of scallop and be a motivator for fishing
quahog and the Atlantic managers to protect more
salmon as the most vulner- ocean habitat and pre-
able in the region, as well serve marine species.
as eastern oysters, a $175 “We can better protect the
million fishery in 2014. ocean habitat where fish
Also, certain types of her- find food and shelter and
ring, a vital part of the reproduce,” he said.q
