Fish on the move due to ocean warming

NSW DPI Fisheries and the Redmap Australia (Range Extension Database and Mapping) program have published research data that shows marine species are on the move around Australia’s coastline in response to ocean warming.

The report card shows how marine species’ distributions are changing along the NSW coastline based on sightings made by citizen scientists, such as fishers, divers, boaters and snorkelers. It indicates that 197 species have shifted their range south since 2003¹.

DPI Research Scientist and climate change citizen science project lead, Dr Curtis Champion, says that the NSW Redmap report card will help us understand how our marine ecosystems are changing in response to climate change.

“Ocean temperatures around most parts of the Australian coast are warming at a rate over twice the global average,” Dr Champion said.

“A rise of just a degree or two can significantly impact the distribution of marine species across our NSW coastal waters. For instance, in recent years, people have spotted coral trout, usually confined to tropical waters of Queensland, off the coast of Sydney,” he said.

The NSW report card is based on 656 observations of species outside of their historical distributions along the NSW coastline, spotted by 234 citizen scientists.

Dr Champion said using citizen science to develop a map of how marine species distributions are changing along the coast provides a valuable resource to scientists and educates the public as to the impacts of climate change on their lives.

“Information provided by citizen scientists is an incredibly valuable resource for understanding how marine life is responding to climate change, particularly through monitoring climate-driven changes to species distributions,” he said.

This echoes OzFish’s own range of citizen science projects across Australia which empower our community of recreational fishers to be waterway stewards and help to educate them on the science behind fishing and habitat restoration.

FISHER SCIENCE

To check out the NSW climate change citizen science report card click here.

¹Gervais, CR, Champion, C, Pecl, GT (2021) Species on the move around the Australian coastline: A continental-scale review of climate-driven species redistribution in marine systems. Global Change Biology 27, 3200-3217.

NSW DPI Fisheries and Redmap Australia (based at the University of Tasmania) has completed the climate change citizen science report card with support from the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.

NSW DPI Fisheries and the Redmap Australia (Range Extension Database and Mapping) program have published research data that shows marine species are on the move around Australia’s coastline in response to ocean warming.

“Ocean temperatures around most parts of the Australian coast are warming at a rate over twice the global average,” Dr Champion said.

“A rise of just a degree or two can significantly impact the distribution of marine species across our NSW coastal waters. For instance, in recent years, people have spotted coral trout, usually confined to tropical waters of Queensland, off the coast of Sydney,” he said.

“Information provided by citizen scientists is an incredibly valuable resource for understanding how marine life is responding to climate change, particularly through monitoring climate-driven changes to species distributions,” he said.

Read more about our many citizen science projects and how you can get involved.

FISHER SCIENCE

NSW DPI Fisheries and Redmap Australia (based at the University of Tasmania) has completed the climate change citizen science report card with support from the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.