Warming seas are losing fish

Scientists have long warned that warming ocean temperatures will severely deplete fish stocks—and a new study suggests the declines have already begun. Researchers looked at historical fishing data from around the world from 1930 to 2010. In a quarter of the regions studied, fish numbers grew: In the mid-Atlantic, for example, sustainable catches of black sea bass increased by 6 percent. There were no major changes in another quarter of the areas. But in the other half, fish stocks declined. Particularly badly affected were the northeast Atlantic and the Sea of Japan, which saw stocks plummet by about 35 percent. Globally, the drop was 4.1 percent. The researchers say overfishing and poor fisheries management played a part, but that the bigger factor was fish being driven out of their natural habitats by rising temperatures. “Fish are like Goldilocks: They don’t like their water too hot or too cold,” co-author Malin L. Pinsky, from Rutgers University, tells The New York Times. The research follows a recent study that found that ocean temperatures are warming much faster than previously thought. ■