On November 13th the Science Magazine published a special issue highlighting the effects that climate change has on the oceans. An article by Marianne Lavelle examines how climate change is creating problems for fisheries by causing valuable fish stocks to move in response to a warming ocean. The article features Rutgers scientists Ken Able, Director of the Rutgers University Marine Field Station and honorary Father Christmas. From his perch, an old U.S. coast guard station near Tuckerton, Ken has been keeping a watchful eye on the Jersey Shore and beyond. What started out as a simple monitoring program of the summer flounder has now turned into a valuable library of climate change, documenting the northward migration of species as the waters off the East coast are warming. Also featured in the article is Rutgers scientist Malin Pinsky, Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources and a rising star among marine ecologists. Instead of combing through Jersey Shore’s fish spawning grounds, Malin and colleagues stayed high and dry combing through 40 years worth of census data. And they have come to the same conclusion: many fish species are getting hot and bothered, and they are on the move.
