Great British cod supper is under
threat as cold-water fish are replaced by warm-water species, says researcher
Britons may have to adopt a more
continental diet as seawater temperatures rise.
Monday 12 December 2016
07.00 GMT
It is the meal most associated
with the UK, along with slurping tea and moaning about the weather. But the
great British fish supper could be on the way out, replaced by more continental
variations such as squid and chips, as seas continue to warm, the British
Ecological Society will be told this week.
Britons may have to adopt a more
continental diet when it comes to fish, as climate change sees cold-water fish
such as cod gradually replaced by squid and other warm-water species, according
to research led by Dr John Pinnegar of Cefas, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Science.
“Our models for 2025 and beyond
suggest that seawater temperature may continue to rise in the future,” said
Pinnegar. “As a result, UK waters will become more hospitable for some species
and less suitable for others, with the overall result that most commercial
species will move northwards.”
Squid numbers have increased
dramatically over the past 35 years in the North Sea, according to Cefas, which
has monitored North Sea fish populations for the past 114 years. It said squid
was found at 60% of its 76 survey stations in 2016, compared with just 20% in
1984.
The organisation analyses records
of where fish are caught and water temperature, to monitor the impact of
climate change and fishing intensity to long-term changes in abundance.
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