Compiled: Mintina
A giant stingray was caught in Cambodia last year
Photo courtesy of YouTube platform video screenshot
The stories of large fish are not only true – but perhaps becoming more common as a warming world continues to warm.
In recent years, the number of scary big fish around the world seems to be increasing. Last year, kayakers in California saw a three-meter-long sunfish, nearly the record for the largest individual of the species.
Reports from the past 18 months include a 300-kilogram stingray off the coast of Cambodia, a 190-kilogram lake sturgeon caught in the Detroit River, and even a 45-kilogram moonfish in Oregon. And a 30-kilogram hybrid of scaleless carp and koi — a giant goldfish — made headlines this week when it took an angler 25 minutes to finally catch the fish.
An angler caught one of the world's largest goldfish in a river near Champagne in France
Photo courtesy: Video screenshot
With most people enjoying great animal stories, scientists believe it's far more complicated than the built-in cameras that smartphones come with.
Climate change has led to dramatic changes in fish migration patterns. This allows all species – including crazy species – to appear in unusual locations (such as the Oregonian moonfish, which typically occurs only in tropical waters).
Other studies have shown that rising temperatures may lead to larger species sizes.
Changing migration patterns
Just a few years ago, scientists discovered that the oceans were being hit by a warming climate.
In fact, Earth's oceans absorbed 90 percent of the Earth's heat gain between 1971 and 2010. A study from the University of Oxford looked at changes in ocean temperatures between 1871 and 2017. This has a number of negative effects on the ocean, including the migration patterns of fish.
Fish "resettle in entirely new environments". Francisco Werner, head of science programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Fisheries Administration, told The Washington Post. He said the ocean's fish "try to maintain their daily production in partially optimistic temperatures and tend to their preferred temperature range." "This means that a large number of fish are starting to migrate to the polar regions, where temperatures are cooler."
What is confusing is the aquaculture industry
Warming waters may have a positive effect on some species, but it exceeds the adaptive capacity of others.
This became evidence of the December 2021 lobster boom in Maryland, "which thrives depending on climate change." Just a month after CBC reported the story, the UPI agency reported that "global warming may put an end" to the state's explosive growth in lobster populations. An Australian study found that warmer planets may lead to an increase in fish volume. "Over time, temperatures continue to affect the functioning of animals, and individuals with higher breeding rates and lower mortality rates may emerge after entering the sea, leading to rapidly growing numbers of predatory fish dominating the waters," according to the study.
In other words, we may see more terrifying giant fish in the near future. But if humans don't act, heat apocalypse will continue to threaten Earth's oceans.
Source: Andrew McLemore