New research predicts how spawning habitat in the Bering Sea may shift over the coming century of climate change.
In the wake of recent warming, Pacific cod expanded their summer range into the northern Bering Sea. But whether they could successfully reproduce there remained unknown.
“We know adults are moving northward, but what does that mean for other life stages?” asked study lead Jennifer Bigman, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center.
New collaborative research predicts how thermally suitable habitat for Pacific cod spawning in the Bering Sea may shift over the coming century of climate change. The study coupled state-of-the-art climate modeling with data from laboratory experiments relating hatch success to temperature. It then looked at how changes in spawning habitat might affect Pacific cod productivity.
Read more at NOAA Fisheries
Image: Pacific cod in Alaska waters. (Credit: NOAA Fisheries)