Seas Off Mid-Atlantic & New England States "Fundamentally Changed" In Last 40 Years - AP

[hatrack]

PORTLAND, Maine—The basic makeup of the ocean waters off the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic region has fundamentally changed in the past 40 years because of climate change, commercial fishing pressures and growing coastal populations, according to a new report. The 2009 Ecosystem Status Report says fish populations in U.S. waters from North Carolina to Maine have moved from their traditional home grounds because of a changing environment and human activities.

The report is the broadest study that researchers have undertaken for U.S. waters in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Michael Fogarty, who headed the study, said Tuesday. The findings show how interconnected the ecosystem is, he said. "We need to consider these interrelationships and connections. In some cases they aren't obvious on the surface," said Fogarty, head of the ecosystem assessment program at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Falmouth, Mass. "If we ignore them or don't understand them, then we could come away with the wrong picture of what's driving things."

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The change in the fish population mix is being felt by other species. For example, spiny dogfish sharks feed on silver hake, putting that type of bottom-dwelling fish under additional pressure. The region's water temperatures are also on the rise, which affects where fish live. Fish that prefer warmer waters—such as croaker in the Mid-Atlantic—are increasing in abundance in the region, Fogarty said. At the same time, fish such as cod are moving north in search of colder waters, causing a shift in their population range.

If the waters continue to get warmer, traditional fishing grounds could be hurt. "If the projections for climate change hold, places like Georges Bank could potentially get marginal," he said, referring to fishing grounds off the Massachusetts coast.

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http://www.montereyherald.com/national/ci_13246466?nclick_check=1

[create.peace]

1. K & R nt

[intheflow]

2. K&R'ing for my beloved Atlantic Ocean.

:kick:

[Stinky The Clown]

3. A childhood schoolmate of my son rides commercial fishing boats as a federal observer

I can't at the moment recall the agency he works for, but they're the people who monitor catches of commercial fishermen. He was saying this a while ago ...... they now have to fish in places they never fished before or they catch little to nothing. He goes out on a rotating basis on all kinds of fishing boats, so he sees and hears firsthand more than most people do.