Should we expect fishermen to try to find ways to stop greenhouse gas emissions from their boats? Doubtful, but if the warming trend continues, the average size of their catch is going down, down, down. Via Live Science:
Warming temperatures could lead to smaller fish in the world’s oceans, according to new research.
Based on a study of more than 600 species from around the globe, researchers from the University of British Columbia found that many fish won’t be able to keep up their body weight as the water warms. The scientists projected that the average maximum body size for the world’s fish could decline by up to 24 percent by 2050.
“We were surprised to see such a large decrease in fish size,” the study’s lead author, William Cheung, said in a statement. “Marine fish are generally known to respond to climate change through changing distribution and seasonality. But the unexpectedly big effect that climate change could have on body size suggests that we may be missing a big piece of the puzzle of understanding climate change effects in the ocean.”…
[continues at Live Science]