March 5, 2025 — Climate change is warming the oceans off the New England coast and bringing new species of fish. This could bring new opportunities for fishermen. But fishermen and regulators are falling behind.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The waters off the New England coast are warmer because of climate change. That has brought in new fish and the potential for new opportunities for fishermen. But climate change is happening so fast that fishermen and regulators are falling behind. WBUR’s Barbara Moran has more.
BARBARA MORAN, BYLINE: The fishing boat Paladin is off the coast of Nantucket. And on the deck, the flounder are flopping.
(SOUNDBITE OF FISH FLOPPING)
MORAN: Fisherman Bill Amaru casts a line off the side, reels in another one and shows it off.
BILL AMARU: Yeah, that’s a nice fish.
MORAN: Yeah. How big is that?
AMARU: I’d say, it’ll just be your borderline large, probably about two pounds.
MORAN: Amaru has worked as a commercial fisherman for more than 50 years. And this part of the Atlantic Ocean is a lot warmer than when he started out. Sometimes, even fish from the tropics show up, like tarpon or sailfish.
AMARU: Nothing is weird anymore out here. Tropical is getting to be fairly common, but I think what we’re losing is way, way in excess of what we’re gaining.
MORAN: What scientists say New England is losing are iconic species like cod and lobster. They’ve shifted north or moved to deeper parts of the ocean in search of colder water.
Read the full transcript at NPR