Climate change could force Arctic seals to feed on 'marine junk food,' new B.C. study suggests
The impacts of climate change could soon force some ocean predators in the Arctic to feed on what researchers are calling "marine junk food," a new study out of B.C. suggests.
The study, conducted at the University of British Columbia and released last week, found distribution of some fish species will speed up by 2025. Those changes will likely impact Arctic predators, like ringed seals.
"We found that by the end of the century, the large, fatty Arctic cod may decline dramatically in terms of biomass and distribution," said Katie Florko, a UBC PhD student at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the lead author of the study, in a news release.
"Then smaller fish, like capelin and sand lance, may become much more prevalent."
With warming waters in the Arctic, cod that live under sea ice are expected to move further north or become less abundant, the study says. However, capelin and sand lance are less sensitive to heat and may expand their territory.
The study also suggested many varieties of fish could also shrink in size.
In other words, Florko explained, while the number of fish might increase, they'll "come in smaller packages." As a result, Arctic predators like ringed seals will gain less food energy while foraging.
"It costs energy to forage. Does that mean the seals will need to spend more energy to get a larger number of these smaller fish for the same amount of energy as capturing a bigger fish?" Florko said.
"It's not unlike how the burgers in fast food restaurants seem to get smaller and smaller every year, and you’re getting less bang for your buck."
Complicating the situation, there could be some potential benefits to these changes. For beluga whales, capelin are a staple in their summer diet so their increase could be positive. However, the whales rely on eating Arctic cod to store body fat.
"We’re rolling the dice, and we don’t know what exactly will happen," said Travis Tai, a graduate of the IOF’s PhD program and co-author of the study, in the news release.
"When we have dramatic shifts in food web structures, we can expect large changes not only to how species such as ringed seals use the oceans, but also how people use the oceans."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.