Scientists Warn of Ocean Acidification Threat to Global Seafood Industry

The world's oceans are crucial for safeguarding the global seafood industry, with continental shelf waters providing over 90% of the world's seafood. However, a team of researchers has warned that cutting global emissions is the only way to protect marine life in these waters, which are major sources of seafood. The study, published in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles, analyzed 20 years of data from 14 continental shelves around the world, including the European shelf that stretches from France to Norway.

Key Takeaways:

• The oceans are absorbing more and more carbon from the atmosphere as global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, leading to ocean acidification.
• Continental shelf waters, which provide over 90% of the world's seafood, can see low levels of water movement, leading to high levels of carbon buildup and acidification.
• The buildup of carbon in these waters makes the water more acidic, posing a major threat to marine life and driving declines in species across the food chain.
• Regional efforts to restore ocean habitats cannot be done at the scale required to meaningfully tackle global acidification.
• Reducing global emissions is the single most important action that can be taken to protect the health of our seas and the global seafood industry.
• The research highlights the importance of the Convex Seascape Survey, a research partnership between Blue Marine Foundation, the University of Exeter, and insurance firm Convex Group.

Professor Jamie Shutler from the University of Exeter led the study, which found that continental shelf seas act like giant sponges, helping to draw carbon down from the atmosphere into the water. However, this also drives ocean acidification, which poses a threat to marine life and the global seafood industry.

Statistics:

• The oceans are absorbing more and more carbon from the atmosphere as global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, with a projected increase by 2050.
• Continental shelf waters provide over 90% of the world's seafood.
• The buildup of carbon in these waters makes the water more acidic, with a pH level decrease of 0.1 units over the past 20 years.
• Reducing global emissions is the single most important action that can be taken to protect the health of our seas and the global seafood industry.

Sources:

• Global Biogeochemical Cycles, "Carbon sequestration on continental shelves and its dependence on water mass exchange" (2022)
• University of Exeter, Press release: "Scientists warn of ocean acidification threat to global seafood industry"