September 4, 2018 — Surrounded by some of the largest coastal estuaries on the East Coast, Delaware sees its fair share of varied marine life from sharks and whales to funky fish and crustaceans.
But rising temperatures on land and sea are starting to mix things up even more.
Some species previously known to frequent Florida, others that rarely traveled beyond the Chesapeake Bay and tropical fish that look like they came from a fancy aquarium instead of First State waters are catching the attention of fishermen and scientists along the coast.
“There is an issue with climate change, or whatever you want to call it,” said Rich King, an avid fisherman, Sussex County resident and the mind behind DelawareSurfFishing.com. “It’s affecting the fish stocks because they’re changing migration patterns.”
On King’s website, which chronicles the ins-and-outs of fishing along the Delaware coast, reports outline everything from tropical Portuguese men-o-war washing ashore to foot-long Florida pompano to fancy butterfly fish caught in crab traps.