AAAS Paper Warns Fisheries To Prepare To Be Crushed - 50%+ Stock Drops, Poleward Migrations Expected

[hatrack]

The world's fish stocks will soon suffer major upheaval due to climate change, scientists have warned. Changing ocean temperatures and currents will force thousands of species to migrate polewards, including cod, herring, plaice and prawns.

By 2050, US fishermen may see a 50% reduction in Atlantic cod populations. The predictions of "huge changes", published in the journal Fish and Fisheries, were presented at the AAAS annual meeting in Chicago.

Marine biologists used computer models to forecast the future of 1,066 commercially important species from across the globe. "The impact of climate change on marine biodiversity and fisheries is going to be huge," said lead author Dr William Cheung, of the University of East Anglia in the UK.

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"We found that on average, the animals may shift their distribution towards the poles by 40km per decade," said Dr Cheung. "Atlantic cod on the east coast of the US may see a 50% reduction in some populations by 2050." The invasion of new species into unfamiliar environments could seriously disrupt ecosystems, the researchers warn. Some species will face a high risk of extinction, including Striped Rock Cod in the Antarctic and St Paul Rock Lobster in the Southern Ocean.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7887536.stm

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Wild salmon -- $29.99 a pound

Get used to it.

[MineralMan]

4. Sunfish and crappies caught from the lake near me -- $0.15 a pound.

I have to figure in the cost of my fishing license and the cost of lost hooks.

Walleyes and other fish are a little more expensive, since I have a boat, motor, and trailer that are used. All that cost me $600, so it doesn't amount to much over the years I have and will use it. Then there's the 6 gal. of gas and pint of oil I use each season to run the boat, plus the fuel to drag the boat ten miles to my favorite lake.

Yeah...it averages out to about $0.15/lb. Not so bad.

[msongs]

2. humans are eating fish into extinction without warming as a concern.

better to give up eating dead animals in the first place :-)

Msongs

[Lost in CT]

3. Overfishing is more of an immediate problem than Global Warming.

I often wondered why the Steve Irwin wasn't in the Atlantic chasing European Bluefish Tuna fisherman (which are truly endangered)rather than a few whaling ships from Japan.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Tuna come in cans. There's plenty of them in my grocery store. But I don't see any whales there.

Let's face it. "Environmental" priorities don't always make sense.

Saving whales makes for good PR. Saving http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krill">krill (you know, a primary source of food for whales and essentially all of the rest of the ocean ecosystem?) Have you seen anyone campaigning for it?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5209711.ece

From The Times
November 22, 2008

Blue whales and penguins at risk in krill harvest

Companies are scrambling to harness the power of Antarctic krill for health supplements, causing mounting concern over the ocean ecosystem among conservationists. Krill, thought to be the most successful species on the planet, are tiny crustaceans found in every ocean.

In the vast Southern ocean that encircles Antarctica, krill form the bottom of the food chain for much marine life, including the blue whale. The total biomass of Antarctic krill is estimated to be 400 million tonnes - roughly twice that of the human population.

For decades the Soviet Union was the only country to harvest krill. Krill mince became a Polish and German speciality in the 1970s, and in the Far East krill is still eaten, with a premium paid for females carrying extra fat. But the biggest krill market has always been as animal feeds and aquaculture.

“If ever evidence were needed that we’ve fished our way down the food chain, then here it is,” said Willie Mackenzie, of Greenpeace’s oceans campaign. “Krill is the basis of the Antarctic food web, on which fish, seals, penguins and whales all rely.”

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