Response of a temperate demersal fish community to global warming

Abstract

Changes in the distribution of the demersal fish species have been identified in north-European Atlantic waters. The consequence of these changes has been a northward shift of the distribution limits and changes in richness. In this study a notable increase in demersal fish species richness per sampling station was detected in the southern Bay of Biscay. This rise was due to an increase in frequency of occurrence and abundance of the majority of fish species in the area (53% from the total species). A fisheries relate explanation was discarded because the mismatch between the changes in the fishing effort and the augment in frequency of occurrence and abundance. On the contrary, these changes are in agreement with expected response under the increasing temperature of the sea observed over the last three decades, associated to global warming. These changes were positively correlated with an increase in temperature of intermediate waters in the study area. In addition, some of these species showed a notable western displacements of the Centre of Gravity in the study area, which would be expected if temperate water species would be favoured by an increase in water temperature. Our results are consistent with studies in the North Sea, where many of these species showing widened distribution limits toward north. The analysis of the results show that the studied ecosystem, the Bay of Biscay is under a meridionalization process. On the other hand, only one tropicalization event (L. dieuzedei), was recorded, maybe due to the conservative restrictions applied in species selection.