Climate change and distribution shifts in marine fishes


Back to previous page
Authors: Perry, AL; Low, PJ; Ellis, JR; Reynolds, JD
Year: 2005
Journal: Science 308: 1912-1915
Title: Climate change and distribution shifts in marine fishes
Abstract: We show that the distributions of both exploited and nonexploited North Sea fishes have responded markedly to recent increases in sea temperature, with nearly two-thirds of species shifting in mean latitude or depth or both over 25 years. For species with northerly or southerly range margins in the North Sea, half have shown boundary shifts with warming, and all but one shifted northward. Species with shifting distributions have faster life cycles and smaller body sizes than nonshifting species. Further temperature rises are likely to have profound impacts on commercial fisheries through continued shifts in distribution and alterations in community interactions.
Back to previous page
 

Please send suggestions for improving this publication database to sass-support@sfu.ca.
Departmental members may update their publication list.