North Atlantic Fish Stocks Could Halve Due to Hidden Vulnerability

North Atlantic Fish Stocks Could Halve Due to Hidden Vulnerability

Source: newsweek

1/17/2024

Credit: Michael Workman/iStock / Getty Images Plus

ish stocks in the North Atlantic could halve due to a "hidden vulnerability" involving the oceans' plankton, a study has found,

The new research published in Nature Communications found that when climate change causes just a 16 to 26 percent drop in plankton, the oceans' capacity for fish drops by 38 to 55 percent.

The researchers report that plankton is reducing due to a lack of nutrients in the water. As ocean temperatures rise, nutrients sink to deeper waters meaning there is less at the surface to ensure plankton growth. This leads to less food availability and foraging opportunities for fish that are caught commercially.