Fish fleeing equator due to climate change

It’s possible that in the not-too-distant future, fish will abandon the tropical waters near the equator. The oceans have become so hot that fish are fleeing ancestral marine territories.

As temperatures rise, sea creatures are seeking refuge in cooler waters to feed and spawn. Moreover, they have been moving 30 miles per decade towards Earth’s North and South Poles.

You guessed it: Human-induced global warming is one of the causes of these massive migrations.

Earths’ waters are the warmest they have ever been since record-keeping began. Some studies estimate that oceans are absorbing more heat than at any point over the last 10,000 years.

Oceans provide many benefits

Up to this point, oceans were one of nature’s best defenses against climate change. Not only do vast bodies of water drink CO2 emissions, they also cool the atmosphere. Seas currently absorb about 25% of the CO2 humans produce every year.

Unfortunately, the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere — unprecedented in human history — is more than the oceans can swallow.

It is important to realize that these changes may not reverse anytime soon.

Fish fleeing equator due to climate change by Marlene Sinicki

Effects of global warming

The uncontrolled release of carbon from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and peat decomposition is leading to the release of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and the acidification of the Seven Seas.

Acidification has far-reaching consequences for marine ecosystems, as well as for the billions of people who depend on the ocean for food and survival.

Firstly, acidic oceans threaten sea creatures’ ability to build their calcium-rich skeletons and shells. Secondly, marine life becomes susceptible to disease. Thirdly, coral reefs — the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet — grow brittle and lack essential elements necessary to support life.

Equally important, global warming threatens the ocean’s oxygen supply. The warmer the water, the less oxygen it can hold. Additionally, the oxygen-rich layer often rests near the surface, thereby depriving marine animals that live at deeper depths access to the delicate chemistry that makes life possible.

Fewer fish in the seas

As if that is not enough, unregulated global fisheries are also challenging marine life. Overfishing is now occurring in ocean communities that were traditionally off-limits — deep waters that are located many miles offshore. As a result, food chains get destabilized while underwater habitats slowly become unsustainable.

The question is: How long will it take for humanity to realize we are at a tipping point?

Eyes on the future

On the positive side, here are some practical solutions for protecting equatorial marine life:

• As individuals, we can help reduce carbon emissions and lower global temperatures in some matter-of-fact and immediate ways.
• It’s important to realize that given the opportunity, nature is remarkably resilient and able to adapt to changing circumstance. In actuality, Earth needs time to rebuild itself.
• By the same token, fish can adapt to warmer ocean waters, but not if we catch them all. Protected areas — marine sanctuaries, estuarine research reserves, ocean parks, and marine wildlife refuges — can preserve and maintain natural populations and ecosystems.

In truth, it comes down to each one of us to imagine a better world where the needs of the planet are above our own.