Newswise — For centuries, cod were the backbone of New England’s fisheries and a key species in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Today, cod stocks are on the verge of collapse, hovering at 3-4% of sustainable levels. Even cuts to the fishery have failed to slow this rapid decline, surprising both fishermen and fisheries managers.
For the first time a new report, being published on Friday in Science (embargoed until then), shows that rapid warming of Gulf of Maine waters – 99 percent faster than anywhere else on the planet – reduced the capacity of cod to rebound from fishing, leading to collapse.
The rapid warming is linked to changes in the position of the Gulf Stream and to climate oscillations in the Atlantic and the Pacific. These factors add to the steady pace of warming caused by global climate change. In the face of already depleted cod stocks, fisheries managers in 2010 had placed a series of restrictions on harvesting this key Gulf of Maine species, but even strict quota limits on fishermen failed to help cod rebound. Additionally, researchers found that increasing water temperatures reduce the number of new cod produced by spawning females. Their study also suggests that warming waters led to fewer young fish surviving to adulthood.
Janet Nye, one of the researchers, is available to talk to you further today from 9:30 - 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m and tomorrow after 5 p.m. If you are interested in connecting with her, let me know and I'll coordinate.Janet Nye is a Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospherics Sciences at Stony Brook University in New York.
This study was funded by the Lenfest Ocean Program and the U.S. National Science Foundation and includes researchers from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the University of Maine, the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory.
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