Sardines Swim Into Northern Waters to Keep Cool
LONDONSeveral important fish species that for centuries have been part of the staple diet of people in the Mediterranean region are abandoning sub-tropical seas because the water is too warm and are heading north.
Sardines, which for generations have been the most abundant commercial fish species in Portugal, are moving away. They are now established in the North Sea, and are being caught in the Baltica sea that until recently was normally frozen over in the winter.
Sardines, anchovies and mackerelthree fish species that are important in the diet of many southern European and North African countrieshave been studied by scientists trying to discover how climate change and warming seas are affecting their distribution.
Fishing industry
As well as the affect on the fishing industry, the abundance or disappearance of these species is crucial for many other marine species that rely on them for food.
A pioneering study, published in Global Change Biology, analysed 57,000 fish censuses conducted over 40 years, and has tracked the movement of these fish during this period. ..............(more)
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