September 20, 2012 — Are the codfish packing their bags and hightailing it out of the area?According to NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, warmer ocean temperatures have caused codfish to begin shifting their range more to the northeast.
“A pronounced warming event occurred on the Northeast Shelf this spring, and this will have a profound impact throughout the ecosystem,” said Kevin Friedland, a scientist in the NEFSC's Ecosystem Assessment Program.
“Changes in ocean temperatures and the timing of the spring plankton bloom could affect the biological clocks of many marine species, which spawn at specific times of the year based on environmental cues like water temperature.”
Their data, released this week in a study, shows that during the first six months of 2012, sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem were the highest ever recorded. The ecosystem extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
The above-average temperatures were found in all parts of the ecosystem, from the ocean bottom to the sea surface and across the region, and the above average temperatures extended beyond the shelf break front to the Gulf Stream.
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