Wednesday 7 March 2012

Fish are growing 30% faster thanks to global warming

Tuna sandwiches will not disappear even if the globe would warm up


Great news for the fishing industry; fish are growing faster in warmer waters:
Stephan Munch, fisheries ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has won a prestigious $150,000 award for his research:

Studying fish in the laboratory, Munch found that raising them at higher temperature made their offspring grow 30 percent faster. "This suggests that there's a possibility for rapid responses to climate change," he said.

These climate effects have implications for marine conservation and management plans. Munch wants to gain a large-scale view of how these changes are affecting fisheries. He hopes to create a free online tool to enable management bodies and scientists to predict marine population responses.

It is good to know that fish are responding quite nicely, should the oceans really begin to warm. 30% more fish to eat in a world with a rapidly growing population is no bad thing.

(image by wikipedia)

No comments: