Fish species migrate northwards

Scientists believe global warming could see fish from more temperate waters migrating to our seas.

A new report published in the Current Biology journal has focused on commercial species in particular.

Its authors have trawled (pun intended) through fishing data going back as far as 1980 and recording 100 million fish caught.

As expected, they conclude that over-fishing has seen a decline in popular dinner table fish like Cod and Haddock.

However, animals more typically found further south are also being caught in greater numbers.

Warming seas are seemingly making the UK’s environs more hospitable for Sole, Hake and Red Mullet, amongst others. And species such as the Mackerel, Pollock and Whiting that are currently found off our shores are moving northwards in greater numbers.

For UK divers, it could be that within a decade or two warmer oceans will transform our scenery completely.