Some fishy business

YOUR CHIPPY TAKEAWAYS COULD BE GETTING SMALLER

FISH suppers could soon be a victim of climate change, an expert has warned.

In this region takeaways and restaurants are known for offering customers the chance of ‘whale’ sized portions.

But that could soon be a thing of the past as by 2050, that staple of your local chippy – cod – will have shrunk in size by a fifth.

Marine ecologist Dr William Cheung said it’s all down to climate change.

He said as the North Sea gets warmer, oxygen levels will reduce – which will in turn stunt fish growth.

Dr Cheung, from the University of British Columbia, explained to the 50th Anniversary Symposium of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles exactly how it will happen.

As surface ocean temperatures rise, the water holds less oxygen for fish to breathe, Dr Cheung told the University of Exeter conference.

This means fish will be more likely to find themselves short of “breath” as they grow.

Efforts to reduce the impact of climate change and conservation programmes could make a big difference to Britain’s fisheries, said Dr Cheung.

He told his audience: “International actions in achieving the Paris Agreement will benefit Britain’s fisheries by substantially reducing climate impacts on fish stocks.

“At the same time, local actions that improve the health of fish stocks, and protecting their critical habitats, can also reduce help moderate climate impacts on the fisheries.”

The switch will push more cod into the Arctic fisheries in northern Canada, Russia and Norway, Dr Cheung predicts.

There is good news if you like your Mediterranean fish though.

With cod moving to colder waters, fish like anchovies or sea bass are more likely to be caught by British trawlers.

Anchovies and chips anyone?