The Chief Executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) has said climate change was having a ‘dramatic effect’ on fish stocks.
In an interview with AFP, Sean O’Donoghue said white fish stocks, such as cod, were moving further north due to warming sea temperatures.
He feared it was “only a matter of time” before so-called pelagic fish such as mackerel, blue whiting and herring move north permanently.
“If we continue with the warming of the waters, it is inevitable, the pelagic species will move totally out of the waters. And we could end up that we have very little fish,” he said.
Sean O’Donoghue, CEO of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO).
Among trends emerging, he added, were more mackerel being caught by the Icelandic fleet, while his members were catching more species like anchovies and sardines, which are typically found in warmer southern waters, prompting “overall concern”.
The temperature record set in July was particularly worrying, as it came weeks before the North Atlantic typically reaches peak temperatures in September.
In June, the NOAA recorded what it characterised as a Category 4 or “extreme” marine heatwave off the coasts of Ireland and Britain.
Read the full report on www.rte.ie
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