Several high-profile studies report that ocean acidification will affect coral reef fish behaviour enough to jeopardize their survival. One research team looked more deeply at this assertion — and found it is simply not true.
Excess CO2 in the atmosphere is making the oceans more acidic. Some studies show that’s bad news for fish, including commercially important species. But not all fish respond the same way.
Overfishing is part of the climate problem. There is little doubt that we need to change our habits, but what exactly do we need to do, and why is it so difficult?
Calanus finmarchicus makes up about 90 per cent of the bottom of the food chain in northern oceans, and is eaten by fish and baleen whales alike, but as the ocean becomes more acidic due to CO2 emissions, populations may decrease dramatically.