'Warm blob' of water in Pacific Ocean could hurt salmon
Scientist Dick Beamish says it could take years to know the full impact of warm blob on fish
By The Early Edition, CBC News (Radio Interview) Mar 19, 2015
A "warm blob" of water — which originated in the Gulf of Alaska — is moving south along the Pacific Coast, and scientists are warning it could hurt marine life in B.C.
"Probably I think is fair to say it's unprecedented in terms of the oceanography," Dick Beamish, a retired scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, told The Early Edition's Rick Cluff.
The blob is up to 3 C warmer than average temperatures, which Beamish said will be a significant increase to fish like salmon.
"It sure makes a difference to animals that don't regulate their body temperature, so this is major event."
Beamish said there is no question it will have an impact on marine life, but said it will take a long time to know the full impact.
"The effect is through the food chain, and so because it's through the food chain, most likely you would see that through juvenile fish survival and then you don't see the consequences of the changes in juvenile survival for a few years," he said.
"It's not so much that you're going to see something instantly. We are seeing, according to the report, mortality of birds and certainly some effect on marine mammals, but in terms of fish — let's say particularly salmon — it's not so easy to forecast what is going to happen."
To hear the full interview with Dick Beamish, click the audio labelled: Warm waters could hurt B.C. marine life.
PAA Note: Link to the radio interview (6.22 min) is embedded in the article at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/warm-blob-of-water-in-pacific-ocean-could-hurt-salmon-1.3001677
Links to three related news items can be found on the PAA News Page here
1) Warmer Pacific waters, other factors may be harming marine life
MARK HUME, VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail, Mar. 18 2015
Record-high sea-surface temperatures in the Gulf of Alaska and die-offs of sea lions and seabirds on the West Coast are raising concerns about changing conditions in the Pacific.
2) West Coast waters shifting to lower-productivity regime, NOAA report finds
NOAA, Northwest Fisheries Science Centre, March 17, 2013
3) West Coast waters shifting to lower-productivity regime, new NOAA report finds
State of the California Current report highlights record-warm conditions and effect on fisheries
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region, March 17, 2015
