Britain’s fish ‘n’ chip favourites could dwindle as North Sea warms

[knocker]

 

The likes of haddock, plaice and lemon sole could find the North Sea a less comfortable place to live as the world's oceans warm up, according to a new study.

 

The findings suggest that some of our favourite fish species could become less common as they struggle to cope with warming conditions, the lead author tells Carbon Brief.

 

Close to our culinary hearts

 

The fishing industry in the North Sea is worth  over $1 billion a year. Some of Britain's best-loved fish are caught there, such as haddock and cod, which are among the  top five most-consumed fish in the UK.

 

But the findings of a new study, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that warmer waters will make the North Sea less suitable for many of our mealtime favourites. And they may not be able to migrate to other areas, the researchers say.

 

North sea temperatures have risen by 1.3C over the last 30 years and are predicted to rise by a further 1.8C over the next 50 years. The study estimates how these rising temperatures will affect some of the most abundant North Sea fish species.

 

http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2015/04/britains-fish-n-chip-favourites-could-dwindle-as-north-sea-warms/?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=625e53d864-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-625e53d864-303447709

[Flash bang flash bang etc]

That's ok coz I eat huss anyway

[Wynn D Woo]

Horrible over priced food anyway much prefer Indian or Chinese, should I go for a rare takeaway option.

[4wd]

It's a typical stupid AGW tale of woe, they'd just gradually move a bit further north.
 But the propaganda article tries to imply they'd be too stupid and die out or par-boil in situ if the sea eventually warmed 0.5C.

[4wd]

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/08/north-sea-cod-stocks-bounce-back-analysis-shows

The Guardain must not have got the memo and runs a story about rising numbers in the face of the 'warm' water doom.

[knocker]

It's a typical stupid AGW tale of woe, they'd just gradually move a bit further north.

 But the propaganda article tries to imply they'd be too stupid and die out or par-boil in situ if the sea eventually warmed 0.5C.

 

Of course it's not a propaganda article but a serious scientific study. Obviously that doesn't rule it out from being part of the grand AGW global conspiracy.

 

Future fish distributions constrained by depth in warming seas

 

European continental shelf seas have experienced intense warming over the past 30 years¹. In the North Sea, fish have been comprehensively monitored throughout this period and resulting data provide a unique record of changes in distribution and abundance in response to climate change^{2, 3}. We use these data to demonstrate the remarkable power of generalized additive models (GAMs), trained on data earlier in the time series, to reliably predict trends in distribution and abundance in later years. Then, challenging process-based models that predict substantial and ongoing poleward shifts of cold-water species^{4, 5}, we find that GAMs coupled with climate projections predict future distributions of demersal (bottom-dwelling) fish species over the next 50 years will be strongly constrained by availability of habitat of suitable depth. This will lead to pronounced changes in community structure, species interactions and commercial fisheries, unless individual acclimation or population-level evolutionary adaptations enable fish to tolerate warmer conditions or move to previously uninhabitable locations.

Edited April 14, 2015 by knocker

[Kentspur]

Yes but we will also see an increase in many other species especially those from the Mediterranean countries and Atlantic- and let's not forget the Portuguese for instance have far more species in their waters than we do u only have to spend a couple of hours sea fishing in the algarve to realise this! Bring on the snapper, marlin, octopus and tuna;-)

Edited April 14, 2015 by Kentspur

[Lauren]

I find most whitefish really bland and tasteless when battered anyway. Our local award winning chippy used to batter monkfish, mackerel and tuna and it was so delicious, way better than your standard. It got too expensive though as those three became more in demand compared to the regulars.

I remember several years back when you couldn't give away monkfish or tuna steaks.

[DAVID SNOW]

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/08/north-sea-cod-stocks-bounce-back-analysis-shows

The Guardain must not have got the memo and runs a story about rising numbers in the face of the 'warm' water doom.

 

 

Touche.......

[Dami]

Ah you can't beat a good old fish and chips especially eaten on the sea front..the smell of vinegar on chips.,,. Nothing about cod? I thought that was low too, although our local chippy does a lovely fish supper.