WELLINGTON: Fish and chips could be a thing of the past unless more is done to halt
global warming , scientists say. Research has indicated cod and
haddock fishes face extinction as rising temperatures cut oxygen in the oceans.
Marine zoologist Prof John Spicer said it was a “major cause for concern”. “Many large species will almost certainly be the first casualties of our warming, oxygen-poor ocean,” he added.
The research was conduced by Prof Spicer’s University of Plymouth team and the
British Antarctic Survey. Experts analysed four types of
crustacean, which are abundant off coast of the western
Antarctic Peninsula.
They found when the gas in their water was reduced, they got smaller – supporting the theory that bigger sea creatures are more vulnerable to
climate change. The study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B, suggests that failure to control greenhouse gases will have a greater impact on marine ecosystems than previously feared.
“Over the past 50 years, the oxygen in our oceans has decreased by around 2-5%. This is already having an effect on species’ ability to function,” Prof Spicer said.
“Unless they adapt, many larger marine invertebrates will either shrink in size or face extinction. This would have a profoundly negative impact on the ecosystems of which they are a part,” he added. Dr Simon Morley of the British Antarctic Survey said: “Understanding these impacts will teach us much about the mechanisms that will determine the survival of species.”
Studies have suggested the fish will shrink by up to a quarter by 2050