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A family of pilot whales were recently spotted close to the shore in Marbella.
Climate change is having a noticeable effect on marine life and fish stocks are decreasing

Climate change is having a noticeable effect on marine life and fish stocks are decreasing

The increase in the temperature of the sea water may appear to be slight but it has been enough to change some of the ecosystems of the Alborán Sea

IGNACIO LILLO

Monday, 27 March 2017, 13:46

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Climate change is no longer something which is predicted to happen in the future; it is already having an effect on the Bay of Malaga. Among the consequences which experts at the Oceanography Centre, the Union for the Preservation of Nature (UICN), the Aula del Mar and the Junta de Andalucía are noticing, is a rise in the temperature of the sea water. This can result in a reduction in fish stocks, the proliferation of invasive species and others such as jellyfish, and the risk of cetaceans being stranded on shore, among other problems.

This week the official presentation of the Week of the Sea took place, and it proved an ideal opportunity to highlight the effects which global warming is having on the Malaga coast. At the presentation, experts explained that the sea water is warmer now. Although the rise is only slight, the level of heat absorption is significant and has been enough to produce some important changes.

Jorge Baro, the director of the Oceanography Centre, says there are signs that the dynamics of marine populations are changing and there has been a fall in exploitable resources, at the same time as other populations, such as jellyfish, are increasing. "In the sea, there has to be a major change in temperature for this to happen, and that has even been detected at very deep levels in the Mediterranean. That affects the species, although not always in a negative way, because those which live in warmer waters proliferate," he explains. Because of this, more invasive fauna are coming from the Indian region through the Suez Canal and settling, encouraged by the rise in temperature. Among the most striking cases is that of the pufferfish, which is poisonous.

The Malaga fishing grounds have maintained normal levels in the past ten years, although in general the trend is downward compared with the situation 30 or 40 years ago. In fact, the current figures are very different to those registered at the end of the 20th century, and climate change appears to be having an influence, together with human overpopulation of the coast, the lack of sewage treatment and contamination. Among the most threatened species are those which are captured by trawling, such as red mullet and hake.

Luis Gil de Sola, a researcher with the IEO, says the reproduction cycles of sardines and anchovies are becoming longer. "The numbers are lower than expected. The warming is affecting the fishing industry, definitely," he says. He would like to see further effort made in compiling data and in providing information for the public.

Cetaceans close to shore

The UICN has already identified several effects of climate change through the Alborán Geoportal, an app in which this NGO, the scientific world and public administrations all participate.

Andrés Alcántara, a technician with this organisation, says that more dolphins and other cetaceans have been stranded on the shore recently, because they are coming closer to eat. There are also more contaminants because of the rise in the water temperature, which is also reducing the capacity to absorb CO2 and making marine plants disappear.

With regard to fishing, in April there will be a meeting between different authorities and technicians from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Malaga to identify the areas which are most vulnerable because of a reduction in fishing stocks. In fact Morocco has already carried out studies which associate this factor with climate change. The effects are most evident in species such as clams, mussels etc, whose shells are becoming weaker and therefore affecting production.

Juan Jesús Martín, the biologist who runs the Aula del Mar, says he has not seen an increase in the number of cetaceans who have become stranded on shore in this area, but they are coming closer to the coast in search of food. In fact, a whole family of pilot whales was spotted off Cabopino, in Marbella, recently. There has also been a noticeable increase in invasory species from tropical seas, both fauna and flora, and sea turtles are laying their eggs in this area more often these days. "Cold-blooded animals are changing their habitats and their distribution," says Juan Jesús.

José Luis Hernández, the regional government's Deputy Minister for the Environment, warns of the implicit dangers from the rising sea level, which threatens the productive system basis on the Costa del Sol. This is one of the aspects which was discussed in depth this week at meetings at the Aula del Mar, which is in El Palmeral in Malaga Port.

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