Shifts in Herring and Mackerel Resources in the North Sea under Global Warming

Abstract

Zeng, Y., 2020. Shifts in herring and mackerel resources in the North Sea under global warming. In: Yang, D.F. and Wang, H. (eds.), Recent Advances in Marine Geology and Environmental Oceanography. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 108, pp. 151–155. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The shift of habitats for economic marine species may pose a great challenge to the existing fishing industry. Under the current business model, fish populations may migrate too far to be caught by small fishing companies. Herring and mackerel are two extremely important species in the North Sea fisheries. This research takes herring and mackerel as examples to establish mathematical models to find out why and how small fishing companies near the North Sea should prepare for the potential challenges due to global warming. The annual change of seawater temperature in the next 50 years is predicted based on CMIP6. Combining seawater temperature prediction and fish life patterns, the migration prospects of fish populations are obtained. Results are carefully charted on the map using MATLAB, making the findings vivid and precise. The extent to which fish may move north is different in selected scenarios, which is analyzed and discussed. This study provides valuable insights into how climate change may affect the North Sea's ecosystem and fishing industry.