Researchers discovered the state’s coastal rivers, lakes and lagoons were warming twice as fast as the ocean. The average temperatures in those marine ecosystems were up 2.16 degrees Celsius, making breeding harder for some aquatic life. The world-first study also posed a big problem for the state’s multi-million-dollar fishing and aquaculture industry, which underpinned the economies of many coastal towns.
The marine biologists said coastal ecosystems were being forced to adapt and there would be winners and losers. While some species of fish and prawns are likely to be more resilient, shellfish like oysters could be badly affected. A spokesperson from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said the NSW government had several other research projects underway.
They were “examining how expected changes in estuarine water quality associated with climate change may affect species that support NSW fisheries”. Mary Howard from the NSW Wild Caught Fishers Coalition said warmer waters would likely see species begin to migrate. “It may well be that squid would become more prolific upstream if temperatures were to rise further, and the same with blue swimmer crab,” she said.
Source: ABC
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