Heatwave responsible for depleting Fish stocks in WA
With ocean temperatures already exceeding averages by half a degree, already the states Rock Lobster population is in decline, confirmed by a huge drop in puerulushas (Baby Crayfish) being noticed by fisherman off the WA coast.
Last year, with average water temps, puerulushas were abundant and eventually grew into decent sized crustaceans.
This year, with just that half degree change, larvae are hatching too early, devastating the population once again according to Ming Feng, a leading oceanographer from the CSIRO who are on the case in search for an answer.
It’s not just the lobsters that are suffering the effects of global warming (or climate change for those who prefer that term). The rest of the globes fish stocks are reliant on stable temperate to breed normally.
Close to home, the Environmental Protection Authority reported that the recent collapse of the Cockburn Sound’s crab fishery was in part due to the high marine temperatures. That’s the second time it’s fallen in eight years, and it’s still unknown if it will recover this time.
Mount Wellington, TAS
