2 Billion Tons: Researcher Gives First-ever Estimate Of Worldwide Fish Biomass And Impact On Climate Change

2 Billion Tons: Researcher Gives First-ever Estimate Of Worldwide Fish Biomass And Impact On Climate Change

Source: Underwatertimes

1/15/2009

Are there really plenty of fish in the sea? University of British Columbia fisheries researcher Villy Christensen gives the first-ever estimate of total fish biomass in our oceans: Two billion tonnes.

And fish play a previously unrecognized but significant role in mitigating climate change by maintaining the delicate pH balance of the oceans, according to a study published in tomorrow's edition of the journal Science, co-authored by Christensen and a team of international scientists.

"By drinking salt water, fish ingest a lot of calcium, which needs to be removed – or they will get renal stones," says Christensen, an associate professor in the UBC Fisheries Centre.

The team discovered that fish do this by binding the calcium to bicarbonate, and then excreting it as pellets of calcium carbonate, a chalk-like substance also known as "gut rocks," in a process completely separate from food digestion. For an animation of this process, visit www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/download.

As the calcium carbonate from these pellets dissolves, it turns the seawater more alkaline, which has relevance for ocean acidification, and is impacted by the ocean's exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) with the atmosphere.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
26	Adapt and Adjust	echopress	2024-10-04	US
27	River creature with thick lips, glittery fins found in China	miamiherald	2024-10-08	CN
28	Soil-dwelling fish dug up in rainforest of Costa Rica	miamiherald	2024-10-08	CR
29	Canadas sanction of 4 Passamaquoddy fishermen heats dispute over tribal fishing rights	bangor daily news	2024-10-07	CA
30	Вечера в лодке	ohotniki	2024-10-04	RU
31	Salmon Swim Freely in the Klamath River	Associated Press	2024-10-07	CA
32	Mass fish deaths in Lake Victoria push fish farmers to loss	thefishsite	2024-10-07	KE
33	Global fisheries must change to avoid ocean collapse, study says	lapatilla	2024-09-24	VE
34	Global fisheries must change to avoid ocean collapse	mongabay	2024-09-25	US
35	Another doomsday fish makes an appearance, this time in Australia	wionews	2024-09-25	AU
36	Fish has legs that can taste prey hidden under the sand using genes also found in humans	abc	2024-09-26	AU
37	Why you should think twice before going on sudden fishing trips right after Helene	herald tribune	2024-09-27	US
38	Scottish salmon farm cleared tonnes of dead fish before inspection	theguardian	2024-09-25	UK
39	Fishermen want clear labeling for locally caught seafood vs imported	khon2	2024-09-27	US
40	Trio land 155kg monster tuna trapped in rocks near Little Barrier Island	NZ Herald	2024-09-27	NZ
41	Heartbreak as fish at Horsham beauty spot reported to be gasping for air	sussexexpress	2024-09-11	UK
42	Do wild fish belong to the public?	anthropocenemagazine	2024-09-25	US
43	Study Finds Invasive Species May Spawn Twice a Year in the Bay	chesapeake bay magazine	2024-09-24	US
44	A wondrous fish has made a miraculous return to UK seas	theguardian	2024-09-27	UK
45	DNR invites public comment for Roseau River WMA master plan update	echopress	2024-10-02	US
46	Shimmering river creature with rather large eyes found in China	miamiherald	2024-10-03	CN
47	N.S. fisheries minister says feds not taking illegal fishing seriously	CBC News	2024-10-03	CA
48	Караси поздней осени	ohotniki	2024-09-25	RU
49	Salmon Evolution nears 5,000 tonne target	thefishsite	2024-10-03	NO
50	How do fish survive in large urban waterways, like the Chicago River?	Great Lakes Now	2024-09-30	US