Is this report true?

The North Sea is undergoing "ecological meltdown" as a result of global
warming, according to startling new research. Scientists say that they are
witnessing "a collapse in the system", with devastating implications for
fisheries and wildlife.

Record sea temperatures are killing off the plankton on which all life in
the sea depends, because they underpin the entire marine food chain. Fish
stocks and sea bird populations have slumped.

Scientists at the Sir Alistair Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science in
Plymouth, which has been monitoring plankton in the North Sea for over 70
years, say that an unprecedented heating of the waters has driven the
cold-water species of this microscopic but vital food hundreds of miles to
the north. They have been replaced by smaller, warm-water species that are
less nutritious.

"A regime shift has taken place and the whole ecology of the North Sea has
changed quite dramatically", says Dr Chris Reid, the foundation's director.
"We are seeing a collapse in the system as we knew it. Catches of salmon and
cod are already down and we are getting smaller fish.

"We are seeing visual evidence of climate change on a large-scale ecosystem.
We are likely to see even greater warming, with temperatures becoming more
like those off the Atlantic coast of Spain or further south, bringing a
complete change of ecology.

"Some of the colder-water fish species that people like to have with chips
are at the southern limit of their range, and if the warming trend
continues, cod are likely to become extinct in the North Sea in the next few
decades."

This year stocks of young cod were at their lowest for 20 years. The numbers
of wild salmon have almost halved over the past two decades and this year
the numbers returning to British rivers to spawn fell to a record low.
Meanwhile, warm-water fish such as red mullet, horse mackerel, pilchards and
squid are becoming increasingly common.

Overfishing has played a part in the decline, but scientists have been
surprised to see that stocks have not made their expected recovery after
severe cuts in fishing quotas. They say that continued warming will effect
all forms of marine life, including seabirds and dolphins.

Research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has established
that seabird colonies off the Yorkshire coast and the Shetlands this year
suffered their worst breeding season since records began, with many simply
abandoning nesting sites.

The society puts it down to a record slump in sand eels, which normally
breed in their millions, providing the staple diet for many seabirds and
large fish. The eels depend on the plankton that are now being pushed out by
the warming waters.

The survey concentrated on kittiwakes, but other species that feed on the
eels, including puffins and razorbills, are also known to be seriously
affected. Dr Euan Dunn of the RSPB said last week: "We know that sand eel
populations fluctuate and you do get bad years. But there is a suggestion
that we are getting a series of bad years, and that suggests something more
sinister is happening."

He too pointed the finger at global warming and added: "Everything points to
the conclusion that there are major ecological changes going on in the North
Sea."

Plankton

Microscopic creatures found in their billions in every square foot of sea.
As the base of the marine food chain, they are vital to young cod, salmon
and sand eels. As North Sea temperatures have risen, cold-water plankton
have moved hundreds of miles to the north, disrupting ecology. Warmer-water
species tend to be smaller and less nutritious.

Crustaceans

Crab and lobster fisheries are thriving in the warmer water around the UK
and on warm-water plankton which have taken the place of cold-water species.

Sea birds

An RSPB survey this summer shows east coast colonies of kittiwakes,
guillemots, puffins and razorbills had the worst breeding season on record.
Nest counts in east Yorkshire and Shetlands show kittiwakes not laying or
hatching eggs because of a severe shortage of their favourite food - sand
eels. Some colonies have even been abandoned.

Seals

Populations of common seal were hit in the late Eighties by viral infection.
Numbers had almost recovered when they were hit by a second outbreak last
winter. Both viral outbreaks coincided with influxes of warm Atlantic water
into the North Sea, and some scientists believe that two events might be
linked.

Salmon

Numbers estimated to have almost halved in 20 years, and this year adults
returning to UK rivers fell to a new low. Studies show salmon are highly
dependent on plankton on their journey to feeding grounds in the north
Atlantic.

Mediterranean fish

As seas have warmed, large numbers of Mediterranean species, such as red
mullet, squid and sardine, have moved into UK waters. Red mullet, popular in
Spain and France, are now being caught commercially in the North Sea. In the
Channel there are emerging sardine fisheries.

Sand eels

Make up between a third and half of the weight of all fish in the North Sea.
Caught in huge quantities by Danish factory ships, which turn them into food
pellets for pigs and fish. This summer, the Danish fleet caught only 300,000
tonnes out of its 950,000-tonne quota - a record low.

Cod

Stocks of young cod this year at their lowest for 20 years. Waters around
the UK are the southern limit of their range. The International Council for
the Exploration of the Seas says numbers are lower than previously thought,
and has called for a ban on cod fishing in the North Sea and Irish Sea.

In article , Dibble
wrote:

The North Sea is undergoing "ecological meltdown" as a result of global

No references and unsupported attributions. It may or may not be true but
atm we couldn't tell it from trolling.

Cheerio,

--

On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 12:38:51 +0100, "Derek.Moody"
wrote:

In article , Dibble
wrote:

The North Sea is undergoing "ecological meltdown" as a result of global

No references and unsupported attributions. It may or may not be true but
atm we couldn't tell it from trolling.

Well I doubt that it's trolling, regardless of the truth of it.
It's been lifted from the 'Independent on Sunday',
The 'Sir Alistair Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science' in Plymouth,
which is named in the article, is a pretty reputable source, and has
been monitoring the North Atlantic plankton for many years.
The findings aren't new, and their 2002 report (available as a
download from http://192.171.163.165/ is more or less in accord with
the article as far as changes in the type and availability of plankton
goes.
Whether this will lead to the drastic results forecast in the article
is more open to conjecture, but I wouldn't bet against it.

Cheers
ian D

In article , Ian D
wrote:
On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 12:38:51 +0100, "Derek.Moody"
wrote:

In article , Dibble
wrote:

The North Sea is undergoing "ecological meltdown" as a result of global

No references and unsupported attributions. It may or may not be true but
atm we couldn't tell it from trolling.

Well I doubt that it's trolling, regardless of the truth of it.

Dibble has only posted a few times, generally a long, contentious report but
never follows up.

It's been lifted from the 'Independent on Sunday',

OK, should have been stated...

The 'Sir Alistair Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science' in Plymouth,
which is named in the article, is a pretty reputable source, and has
been monitoring the North Atlantic plankton for many years.
The findings aren't new, and their 2002 report (available as a
download from http://192.171.163.165/ is more or less in accord with
the article as far as changes in the type and availability of plankton
goes.

and there's support for the attribution - but -you- shouldn't have had to do
the digging.

Whether this will lead to the drastic results forecast in the article
is more open to conjecture, but I wouldn't bet against it.

Quite.

We know it's a mess and now we hear another cod ban is on the cards. A ban
is needed of course but it addresses symptoms rather thsn the cause of the
problem.

Cheerio,

--

"Dibble" wrote in message
...



The North Sea is undergoing "ecological meltdown" as a result of global
warming, according to startling new research. Scientists say that they are
witnessing "a collapse in the system", with devastating implications for
fisheries and wildlife.

Record sea temperatures are killing off the plankton on which all life in
the sea depends, because they underpin the entire marine food chain. Fish
stocks and sea bird populations have slumped.

Scientists at the Sir Alistair Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science in
Plymouth, which has been monitoring plankton in the North Sea for over 70
years, say that an unprecedented heating of the waters has driven the
cold-water species of this microscopic but vital food hundreds of miles to
the north. They have been replaced by smaller, warm-water species that are
less nutritious.

"A regime shift has taken place and the whole ecology of the North Sea has
changed quite dramatically", says Dr Chris Reid, the foundation's
director.
"We are seeing a collapse in the system as we knew it. Catches of salmon
and
cod are already down and we are getting smaller fish.

"We are seeing visual evidence of climate change on a large-scale
ecosystem.
We are likely to see even greater warming, with temperatures becoming more
like those off the Atlantic coast of Spain or further south, bringing a
complete change of ecology.

"Some of the colder-water fish species that people like to have with chips
are at the southern limit of their range, and if the warming trend
continues, cod are likely to become extinct in the North Sea in the next
few
decades."

This year stocks of young cod were at their lowest for 20 years. The
numbers
of wild salmon have almost halved over the past two decades and this year
the numbers returning to British rivers to spawn fell to a record low.
Meanwhile, warm-water fish such as red mullet, horse mackerel, pilchards
and
squid are becoming increasingly common.

Overfishing has played a part in the decline, but scientists have been
surprised to see that stocks have not made their expected recovery after
severe cuts in fishing quotas. They say that continued warming will effect
all forms of marine life, including seabirds and dolphins.

Research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has established
that seabird colonies off the Yorkshire coast and the Shetlands this year
suffered their worst breeding season since records began, with many simply
abandoning nesting sites.

The society puts it down to a record slump in sand eels, which normally
breed in their millions, providing the staple diet for many seabirds and
large fish. The eels depend on the plankton that are now being pushed out
by
the warming waters.

The survey concentrated on kittiwakes, but other species that feed on the
eels, including puffins and razorbills, are also known to be seriously
affected. Dr Euan Dunn of the RSPB said last week: "We know that sand eel
populations fluctuate and you do get bad years. But there is a suggestion
that we are getting a series of bad years, and that suggests something
more
sinister is happening."

He too pointed the finger at global warming and added: "Everything points
to
the conclusion that there are major ecological changes going on in the
North
Sea."

Plankton

Microscopic creatures found in their billions in every square foot of sea.
As the base of the marine food chain, they are vital to young cod, salmon
and sand eels. As North Sea temperatures have risen, cold-water plankton
have moved hundreds of miles to the north, disrupting ecology.
Warmer-water
species tend to be smaller and less nutritious.

Crustaceans

Crab and lobster fisheries are thriving in the warmer water around the UK
and on warm-water plankton which have taken the place of cold-water
species.

Sea birds

An RSPB survey this summer shows east coast colonies of kittiwakes,
guillemots, puffins and razorbills had the worst breeding season on
record.
Nest counts in east Yorkshire and Shetlands show kittiwakes not laying or
hatching eggs because of a severe shortage of their favourite food - sand
eels. Some colonies have even been abandoned.

Seals

Populations of common seal were hit in the late Eighties by viral
infection.
Numbers had almost recovered when they were hit by a second outbreak last
winter. Both viral outbreaks coincided with influxes of warm Atlantic
water
into the North Sea, and some scientists believe that two events might be
linked.

Salmon

Numbers estimated to have almost halved in 20 years, and this year adults
returning to UK rivers fell to a new low. Studies show salmon are highly
dependent on plankton on their journey to feeding grounds in the north
Atlantic.

Mediterranean fish

As seas have warmed, large numbers of Mediterranean species, such as red
mullet, squid and sardine, have moved into UK waters. Red mullet, popular
in
Spain and France, are now being caught commercially in the North Sea. In
the
Channel there are emerging sardine fisheries.

Sand eels

Make up between a third and half of the weight of all fish in the North
Sea.
Caught in huge quantities by Danish factory ships, which turn them into
food
pellets for pigs and fish. This summer, the Danish fleet caught only
300,000
tonnes out of its 950,000-tonne quota - a record low.

Cod

Stocks of young cod this year at their lowest for 20 years. Waters around
the UK are the southern limit of their range. The International Council
for
the Exploration of the Seas says numbers are lower than previously
thought,
and has called for a ban on cod fishing in the North Sea and Irish Sea.


I live up in Sunderland and we are now catching quite a few small Bass which
were very rare a few years ago(heard one lad had 60 undersized in a
session) --you almost never saw velvet swimmers now they are all
over ---stack of whiting but very few codling now
seems to me it could well be true !

"Marty" wrote in
:



Err Yeah, probably the most entertaining piece of anti sea fshing spam I've
read for a long time, the big giveaway is the global warming/RSPB link,
typical soft core anti, message, with a real playdown of the Spanish/Pair
trawl arguement that true ecologists and conservationists are fighting to
bring to an end


Steve

As seas have warmed, large numbers of Mediterranean species, such as red
mullet, squid and sardine, have moved into UK waters

As the dominant species(cod, bass)decline, lesser species thrive due to lack of
predation, nothing to do with plankton, global warming etc. This is just a red
herring, excuse the pun. Give the cod and bass a chance to grow and they will
eat the lesser species and restore the natural balance. I'm not a scientist but
I know how life lives. Don't believe everything you read. Nature if left alone
will sort itself out, cheers, Norman.

"SEAANGLING" wrote in message
...
As seas have warmed, large numbers of Mediterranean species, such as red
mullet, squid and sardine, have moved into UK waters

As the dominant species(cod, bass)decline, lesser species thrive due to
lack of
predation, nothing to do with plankton, global warming etc. This is just a
red
herring, excuse the pun. Give the cod and bass a chance to grow and they
will
eat the lesser species and restore the natural balance. I'm not a
scientist but
I know how life lives. Don't believe everything you read. Nature if left
alone
will sort itself out, cheers, Norman.


The trouble is that nature is not being left alone to "sort itself out"
because we are dumping tonnes of fertilisers into the sea and bladdering the
ozone layers !

Nice one Norm. Shame that the "Scientific Ones" forget that nature is far
smarter than they will ever be.

On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 23:52:50 +0000 (UTC), "Jim"
(remove $ ) wrote:

Nice one Norm. Shame that the "Scientific Ones" forget that nature is far
smarter than they will ever be.


Nature isn't smart. Nature just is.
In nature there are epidemics, diseases, mass starvations when food
sources vanish etc.
Sure nature deals with it - eventually - but by just accepting it and
adapting to changing circumstances. Cod stocks are declining? OK. So
when they've gone, there'll be an ecological niche for something else.
That's Nature's way.

But when human activity impacts with the rest of nature to the extent
it does today, thank God that some of the "Scientific Ones" are trying
to understand what's going on, so that at least some of the worst
effects of human activities can be, if not eliminated, then at least
reduced.

And if you can't put forward a sound, scientifically based argument to
counter the wishes of commercial interests, then you've no chance of
achieving anything. It's hard enough even then. There are a hell of a
lot of people who seem to put short term economic benefits to
themselves a long way before environmental concerns, even when the
long term effect of what they're doing is economically disastrous for
the population at large.

Cheers
Ian D