From BBC
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Climate and science correspondent
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The UK could see a boom in endangered sharks, rays and native oysters as species move habitats to respond to rising ocean temperatures, according to scientists.
But some, including a clam that is the world’s longest living animal, could struggle to adapt.
Researchers at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science mapped for the first time how 19 threatened marine species will respond to climate change in UK seas.
Many creatures could find new homes in parts of the North Sea predicted to become biodiversity hotspots in the next 50 years, although the disruption from climate change could also have negative knock-on effects on the marine ecosystem.
In May an intense heatwave warmed UK waters up to 4 degrees warmer than usual.
“As an island nation, we’re hugely reliant on the sea for our food and for jobs. Any changes that we see in our seas are particularly impactful,” Bryony Townhill, marine scientist at Cefas, told BBC News.
The analysis should guide the government as it plans how to ensure so-called Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) continue to protect species even as they change habitat.
The world’s oceans are warming as they have absorbed up to 90% of the additional heating created when humans burn fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas.
The UK seas are a hotspot for these effects of climate change and are among 20 places globally that have warmed fastest over the past 50 years.
Fishing communities and sea swimmers have already noticed the difference, with reports of jellyfish
