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MEDIA: How climate change is making Europe’s fish move to new waters
21 August 2025
PML’s Dr Sevrine Sailley, Ecosystem Modeller, has written for The Conversation UK on how climate change is reshaping fish habitats, with huge implications for fisheries.
‘Climate change is reshaping fish habitats. Some fish are winners, others are losing out.
Fish already face plenty of pressure from overfishing and pollution. Climate change is adding more: warmer waters and shifting food supplies cause what’s known as a predator-prey mismatch. This means prey and predator are not in the same place at the same time, which not only affects our diets but also fishing industries and ocean health more widely.
As the ocean heats up, fish try to stay in the conditions they’re best suited to. Some species will move, but others can’t relocate so easily – for example, if they need to live in a certain habitat at a particular life-stage, such as in kelp that offers shelter for breeding. So, depending on the species and location, climate change could create new fishing opportunities for some countries, and big losses for others.’
