Scientists predict 14-24% reduction in fish size by 2050 as ocean temperatures increase.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service/Flickr

Global warming is likely to shrink the size of fish by as much as a quarter in coming decades, according to a groundbreaking new study of the world’s oceans.

The reduction in individual fish size will be matched by a dwindling of overall fish stocks, warned scientists, at a time when the world’s growing human population is putting ever greater pressure on fisheries.

“We were surprised as we did not think the effects would be so strong and so widespread,” said Prof William Cheung from the University of British Columbia in Canada, who led the research. His team examined the effect of rising ocean temperatures on the growth and distribution of more than 600 species of fish around the world and found that they are expected to shrink in size by 14-24% by 2050, with the biggest effects in tropical regions.

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