Fish species declining as Black Sea gets warmer

TRABZON

With temperatures in the Black Sea increasing due to climate change, the population of fish species, especially anchovies, is declining.

Fish species, whose periodic growth, reproduction and development processes are under threat, tend to migrate towards the south when there is not enough cooling in the sea.

“Changes in water temperature have a significant impact on the behavior of fish and other living things. As the temperature rises, fish are not seen in the expected location. This does not mean that there are no fish, but that the fish move to water at a temperature suitable for them,” Professor Dr. Coşkun Erüz.

Noting that there has been a serious decrease in the species that can be fished in the Black Sea, Erüz said, "Mediterranean species, which have a high tolerance to salinity due to warming and can live in low salinity, are entering the Black Sea with the event we call 'Mediterraneanization.' We usually call these organisms invasive species, and they start to replace native species."

"In addition to climate change, there are serious and large declines in the amount of fish due to overfishing and pollution. While we were talking about 160 species of fish in the Black Sea, today there are only four to five species that can be fished. This is an indication of a serious decline in fish stocks in the Black Sea due to climatic change, pollution and overfishing, but the biggest impact of this is due to human-caused pollution," he added.