January 28, 2014 — A decline in the size of some species of fish in the North Sea could be due to a rise in water temperatures, according to research.
Scientists found that the maximum length of haddock, whiting, herring, Norway pout, plaice and sole decreased by as much as 29% over a 38-year period when temperatures in the North Sea increased by between 1C (1.8F) and 2C (3.6F).
The availability of food and an increase in fishing could also be factors in the reduction in length but the ''synchronised'' fall in size across a range of species led the fisheries scientists at the University of Aberdeen to identify climate change, and particularly higher water temperatures, as a common theme.
Between 1970 and 2008 the length of haddock in the north part of the sea and whiting in the south decreased most at 29%.
The reduction did not apply to all species, with the length of cod remaining steady and sole decreasing by only 1% over the study period.
Read the full story at The Telegraph