Warming waters threaten fish populations
A major new study shows that rising ocean temperatures are shrinking fish populations much faster than scientists thought.
By tracking over 33,000 groups of fish from 1993 to 2021, researchers found that just a small increase in seabed temperature (0.1°C per decade) leads to a 7% drop in total fish biomass.
Extreme heat's impact on fish
Short bursts of extreme heat hit some fish hard—populations at the warmer edge lost nearly half their numbers, while colder-edge groups had a brief boost.
But these changes don't last long, and ongoing warming keeps pushing overall numbers down.
Future projections and solutions
If emissions stay high, some countries could lose over a third of their exploitable fish biomass by the end of the century.
Fishing adds to the problem, compounding declines in fish biomass.
The takeaway? Cutting emissions and smarter fishing are key if we want healthy oceans—and more seafood—in the future.