August 10, 2013 — The steady, ominous rise of ocean temperatures is bringing fish species more common off the Carolina coast and Florida into local waters, scientists and observers said.
Mike Thomas, owner of M&D Bait and Tackle in Wareham for almost three decades, said: "I've seen cobia. I know of three in 28 years of business and I already know of four this year. We had a couple of bonefish this year, a couple of kingfish."
Also showing up with increased frequency are red drum, Atlantic croaker, inshore lizardfish and jack crevalle.
"These are all pretty much southern fish," Thomas said. "They just hitch a ride on the Gulf Stream and come up."
And they're likely to keep coming, in greater numbers and joined by other subtropical species.
"We have a trawl survey every spring and fall and southern species are more and more common all the time," Armstrong said. "They're finding their preferred temperature. They're cold-blooded so they really depend on hanging out where the temperature is optimal for growth."
As the subtropical fish follow warmer water north, species formerly common to southern New England are also heading north and to deeper water, seeking cooler temperatures.
"Cape Cod forms a barrier for a lot of fish," said Kevin Blinkoff, executive editor of On the Water, a magazine for northeastern fishermen. "It's been the northernmost limit for a lot of species. In recent years, though, there are fish such as black sea bass and scup and, to a lesser degree, fluke that were thought of as a more southern New England fish that are appearing in Boston Harbor and along the North Shore."
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times