Carbon emissions threaten fish populations

2:15 AM Sun 11 Jul 2010 GMT

'New research shows that ocean acidification, caused by the increased uptake of carbon dioxide at the ocean surface, affects the behavior of coral reef fish larvae, causing them to be attracted to the smell of predators and decreasing their survival. Photo courtesy of Dr Simon Foale' ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies &copy Click Here to view large photo

Humanity's rising CO2 emissions could have a significant impact on the world's fish populations according to groundbreaking new research carried out in Australia. Baby fish may become easy meat for predators as the world's oceans become more acidic due to CO2 fallout from human activity, an international team of researchers has discovered. In a series of experiments reported in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), the team found that as carbon levels rise and ocean water acidifies, the behaviour of baby fish changes dramatically - in ways that decrease their chances of survival ...

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by ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies