Nature & Environment
Is This The End For New England's Iconic Cods? Warm Waters Becoming A Problem For Species
Brooke James
First Posted: Apr 14, 2016 05:05 AM EDT
New England's cod fed the colonists and launched one of the first industries in the United States. However, these cod have collapsed and is past the point of recovery despite laws being drawn up for catch restrictions that should have allowed the species to rebound.
Still, scientists said at a conservation event that the cod are not coming back, and it's not due to overfishing. They said that the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than the rest of the oceans, and has harmed the cod's ability to reproduce.
Andrew Pershing, the chief scientific officer from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said that female cods produces fewer fish in warm temperatures, and they are also less likely to reach adulthood. The rapid change in the temperature outpaced the fishes' ability to recognize and react to the changes in the water, and the same went for the researchers.
Cod thrive in cold water and the warmer temperature makes it likely for the younger ones to survive. Not only that, warmer temperatures also reduces the zooplankton population -- the food they eat. Venturing into deeper water for their food is hard on their metabolism, making them vulnerable to predators.
National Geographic reported that the government has been putting cod fishing under strict management for years, but in 2014, when the fish count was only 4 percent compared to what it needed to sustain itself, the federal government got involved and banned recreational fishing. Commercial fishermen are also allowed no more than 200 lbs per trip.
Can the iconic cod ever return to the Gulf? Probably, but it will take a while. Scientists said that if there is a complete closure of the cod fishery -- no recreational or commercial fishing -- then the cod could rebound their population in 11 years. Otherwise, it will take longer, from 14 to 19 years depending on the speed which the water warms.
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First Posted: Apr 14, 2016 05:05 AM EDT
New England's cod fed the colonists and launched one of the first industries in the United States. However, these cod have collapsed and is past the point of recovery despite laws being drawn up for catch restrictions that should have allowed the species to rebound.
Still, scientists said at a conservation event that the cod are not coming back, and it's not due to overfishing. They said that the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than the rest of the oceans, and has harmed the cod's ability to reproduce.
Andrew Pershing, the chief scientific officer from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said that female cods produces fewer fish in warm temperatures, and they are also less likely to reach adulthood. The rapid change in the temperature outpaced the fishes' ability to recognize and react to the changes in the water, and the same went for the researchers.
Cod thrive in cold water and the warmer temperature makes it likely for the younger ones to survive. Not only that, warmer temperatures also reduces the zooplankton population -- the food they eat. Venturing into deeper water for their food is hard on their metabolism, making them vulnerable to predators.
National Geographic reported that the government has been putting cod fishing under strict management for years, but in 2014, when the fish count was only 4 percent compared to what it needed to sustain itself, the federal government got involved and banned recreational fishing. Commercial fishermen are also allowed no more than 200 lbs per trip.
Can the iconic cod ever return to the Gulf? Probably, but it will take a while. Scientists said that if there is a complete closure of the cod fishery -- no recreational or commercial fishing -- then the cod could rebound their population in 11 years. Otherwise, it will take longer, from 14 to 19 years depending on the speed which the water warms.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone