Fish around the world are shrinking

May 26, 2024 — Fish are becoming smaller and we humans are most likely to blame. Cli m ate change and overconsumption have drastically altered fish populations and could lead to food struggles in the future. Other species are also seeing changes due to climate change, which could lead to a shift in the aquatic ecosystem as it is currently known. Nonetheless, many marine ecosystems are actively adapting to the changing ocean and climate conditions, showing more resilience than expected.

A whole lot of small fry

The world’s fish supply is getting smaller, physically. A study published in the journal Science said that body size trends “varied across communities,” but “marine fish more consistently shifted toward smaller body size.” This trend is concerning for scientists as more than 3 billion people worldwide rely on fish as a source of food. “Organisms becoming smaller has important effects, as the size of animals mediates their contribution to how ecosystems function and how humans benefit from them,” professor Maria Dornelas, one of the authors of the study, said to The Guardian. “Bigger fish can usually feed more people than smaller fish.”

“Smaller fish produce less offspring than larger fish and therefore less productive fish populations,” said Firstpost. “Fishermen will catch smaller fish. This will in turn reduce the global fish supply.” This could alter the global food supply, as well as economies dependent on fishing. “It’s a problem for the fishery,” Art Bloom, a salmon fisherman in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, said to The Washington Post. Smaller fish “don’t present as well in the supermarket.”