Fish like Hilsa, Bombay Duck, Tuna, Pomfret vulnerable to climate change

Climate change is playing havoc with fish species in India - a study has shown that 47 out of 68 species are vulnerable to this global effect. It is taking its toll on Hilsa in the east coast (especially in the waters off Odisha and West Bengal), Bombay duck on the western coast, and the oil sardines found off Tamil Nadu.
That vulnerability stems from changes in climate apart from over-fishing coupled with lower productivity. The study has been carried out by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 19 December 2016.

The study has found that 69% of the 68 fish species were vulnerable to climatic changes. These include species like the Bombay duck, tuna, sharks, various shrimp, pomfret, and catfish. The west coast has high fishing pressure but is richer in fish so its vulnerability is comparatively less.
It has been observed that fish that inhabit the surface or near surface waters like tuna, mackerel and sardine are most affected by temperature change and they also account for a sizeable chunk of the catch. Hence, overfishing is another factor for vulnerability of 16 species.
Fish like Bombay duck, golden anchovy and hilsa are more vulnerable since they inhabit a limited geographic range. Against this, the chance of survival of fish with a wide geographical distribution like seerfishes (surmai), sardines and lizardfishes is high.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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