Climate change triggers significant number of fish populations to migrate northward: Study

ISTANBUL

Climate change has had an impact on seas, with recent research revealing a remarkable number of fish populations migrating northward, with 15 different species now observed on Norwegian coasts, up from seven previously.

Warmer seas have caused several fish species to migrate northward over the last 30 years, drastically altering local ecosystems, according to a recent study conducted by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the Arctic University of Norway, which reveals significant changes in fish populations along the Norwegian coast due to climate change.

The study, published on Thursday, analyzed 25 years of data from annual coastal surveys and discovered a significant increase in species richness in northern waters.

IMR researcher Ulf Lindstrom reports that trawl catches in northern Norway now yield up to 15 different species, up from six to seven species in the past.

"Species like sprat and silver hake are now appearing in northern regions," Lindstrom explains.

“It is a consequence of a warmer climate, which causes fish that like colder water to move north,” he explained.

This shift may have an impact on species interactions and cause problems for local fish stocks, according to the institute.

While the changes pose challenges for established local fish populations, including the vulnerable coastal cod, they also open up new opportunities for fisheries.

The researchers emphasize the importance of taking climate change impacts into account in future species and area management, citing the collapse of the Gulf of Maine cod stock on the northeast coast of the US as a cautionary tale about ignoring climate factors in fisheries management.