B.C. Fish Heating Up Swimming for Cooler Waters

A new study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) has found that key B.C. fish species like eulichan and salmon are seeing their habitats heat up, forcing them to swim further north for cooler waters. The study found that fish species around the globe are seeing the same problems and as a result, B.C. is now seeing more warm-water species in their nets. The study has yet to determine impacts of warm water fish species migrating to colder waters but conclude it is affecting salmon populations. The warm temperatures have physically stressed the fish leading to their new migrations, which are affecting their reproduction activities and disease immunities.

Co-author of the study William Cheung stated that global warming was “one of the factors linked to the collapse of the Fraser River sockeye.” Other previous studies have found shellfish of B.C. are already affected by acidification and temperature, which researchers fear may disrupt the entire food chain. Fin fish like salmon can migrate to colder water but other species are bound to coastal habitats and could die out due to warming waters.

Cheung says “the study suggests that as waters warm in tropical regions and enclosed water systems, fewer of the local species will be equipped to survive the higher temperatures, leading to reduced catches, with serious implications for food security in equatorial countries.”