Ocean fish can weather marine heatwaves with no major impact on their numbers, a study showed Wednesday, a rare flash of good news following a summer of record-breaking temperatures.
Weather monitors reported record-warm sea-surface temperatures in July -- but the study of thousands of deeper fishery samples from 1993 to 2019 found that ocean heatwaves generally spared fisheries.
"I was surprised by the results," Alexa Fredston, assistant professor in the department of ocean sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and lead author of the multinational study published in the journal Nature, told AFP.
"We know that fish communities have responded to long-term warming of the oceans by moving toward the poles... so I anticipated similar findings -- such as the fish community having more warm-affiliated species and fewer cold-affiliated species than usual -- following marine heatwaves."
However, the study found such heatwaves did not generally cause cold-water species to decline rapidly or warm-water species to teem.
The researchers analysed data on 1,769 species in 82,000 catches by scientific trawlers in the north Atlantic and northeast Pacific, and on 248 deep-sea heatwaves -- five days or more of extreme higher-than-average warmth -- recorded in the same period.
They noted a 22-percent loss of fish in the Gulf of Alaska after a marine heatwave in 2014-2016, and a gain of 70 percent in the northeastern United States after another heatwave in 2012.
Such cases, however, "were the exception, not the rule," the study said.
"Against the highly variable backdrop of ocean ecosystems, marine heatwaves have not driven biomass change or community turnover in fish communities that support many of the world's largest and most productive fisheries."
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Defense Industry Analyst:
9/10
Stock Market Analyst:
4/10
General Industry Analyst:
6/10
Analyst Summary
:
This article discusses a multinational study published in the journal Nature that found that ocean heatwaves have generally spared fisheries, with the exception of two major cases in the Gulf of Alaska and the United States northeast. The study found that marine heatwaves did not generally cause cold water species to decline rapidly or warm water species to teem. This research provides valuable insight into the resilience of fish stocks in the face of increasing ocean temperatures, a particularly pertinent issue in the light of climate change.
However, stock market analysts should note that the two major cases of fish decline after heatwaves could have had a significant impact on the fisheries industry, and may be something to keep in mind when assessing the industry in the future. In comparison to the past 25 years, this research corroborates the trend of increasing ocean temperatures due to climate change, and the resilience of fish stocks in the face of these changing conditions.
Investigative
Question:
- 1. What were the impacts of the 2014-2016 heatwave in the Gulf of Alaska, and why did it result in a 22 percent decline of fish?
- 2. Are there any other heatwaves in the past 25 years that have had a major impact on fish stocks?
- 3.
What measures can be taken to further protect fish stocks from the effects of ocean heatwaves?4. How has climate change affected fish stocks in the past 25 years?
5. How will climate change affect fish stocks in the future, and how can we prepare for this?
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