Commercially important marine fish and invertebrate species will likely shift northwards under a warmer climate.
Commercially important marine fish and invertebrate species will likely shift northwards under a warmer climate.
Marine fisheries are an essential source of protein for a large part of the world’s population, as well as supporting around 390 million livelihoods and an industry worth approximately US$ 141 billion, according to the UN FAO. Yet, climate change presents a major threat to the world’s fisheries, particularly in the Pacific Arctic. The eastern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea—which contain eight of the most productive fisheries in the world—are already experiencing significant climatic shifts that have contributed to the surprise collapse of two important species, snow crab and Pacific cod.
To better understand the potential impact of climate change on fisheries in the region, a research team from Hokkaido University, The University of Tokyo, and the National Institute of Polar Research used bioeconomic modeling to study how the abundance and distribution of eight commercially important marine fish and invertebrate species might change under a range of climate scenarios from 2021-2100. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Read more at Hokkaido University
Photo Credit: Engin_Akyurt via Pixabay
