Acid Test For Firth Fisheries

Denis from Thames

Acidification of the ocean due mostly to fossil-fuelled CO2 emissions could have devastating effects on the aquaculture and fish-food industries, and recreational fishing in the Firth of Thames.

So far the oceans have taken up more than a third of the CO2 we’ve been pumping into the air, and as a result the water is becoming more acidic. Many marine experts rank ocean acidification as the most serious threat to New Zealand’s marine habitats.

This excess carbon dioxide can dissolve the shells of mussels and oysters, and harm plankton that is at the base of the food chain. Higher acidity can cause the larvae of some fish such as snapper to lose their sense of direction, become more reckless and at risk from predators. Squid, kina, paua, and crayfish are also directly at risk from acidification. Harm caused lower in the food chain will ultimately affect other fish species and marine mammals.

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