How warming waters around P.E.I. could affect snow crab and lobster
CBC
Scientists working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are keeping a close eye on how changing water temperatures might affect species like lobster and snow crab.
Research scientist Joël Chassé says as the atmosphere warms, the ocean waters around P.E.I. are also heating up.
"The winters are becoming milder and milder, meaning that the removal of the heat from the ocean is not as [great] as before. So the waters are warmer and warmer overall," he said.
"What we found out both from the surveys and from some modelling work that we have been doing within DFO, it's actually the Southern Gulf — and specifically the Northumberland Strait — warming at a faster rate than the rest of the Gulf."
Chassé said there's a lot of variability from one year to the next. Surface water has been warming at a rate of between 1 to 1.2 degrees Celsius over 100 years — but that appears to be speeding up.
He said on average over 10 years, surface temperatures in the Northumberland Strait could see increases of 0.5 degrees in summer and 0.3 degrees in winter.
"Over the last 10 years or so, we have been warming a little bit more on average than the previous, let's say 20 years. So it's not a big change, but you know, one degree could be significant for some species," he said.
"Changes are happening. It's not deniable anymore. And if the these changes don't slow down, we will have to adapt to these changes."
Chassé said there are implications for some fish species, some positive and some negative.
Fisheries and Oceans biologist Tobie Surette said that while lobster is a warm water coastal species, snow crab prefer deeper, colder waters.
And those differences are key when it comes to climate change.
"Lobster has largely benefited from the warming climates, at least so far," he said.
Surette said they don't know exactly why that is.
"It's just good, good conditions. I mean we're getting more and more small lobsters. So it's either that the survival of small lobsters is much better now that the water is warmer, or there's much more food available," he said.
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