Climate Change Likely to Drive 82 Percent of Native California Fish to Extinction

Climate change is linked with the disappearance of native fish in California. Researchers say that fishes such as salmon will be extinct in the region in the next 100 years, and that other non-native fish will take their place.

Researchers from University of California Davis found that 82 percent of the 121 species that are found in California will be on the edge of extinction in the next few decades. However, only 19 percent of the 50 non-native species will face similar crises.

"If present trends continue, much of the unique California fish fauna will disappear and be replaced by alien fishes, such as carp, largemouth bass, fathead minnows and green sunfish," said Peter Moyle, a professor of fish biology at UC Davis.

Climate change has been associated with fisheries around the world. Any change in climate results in increase in sea surface temperatures, global sea-levels rise and decrease in sea-ice cover, along with changes in salinity, wave conditions and ocean circulation.

Another study had found that Alaska sockeye salmon would also be greatly affected by the climate change.

The present study found that fish that require coldwater (such as salmon) will be the first to go extinct. Fish that don't belong to the region will be the ones that thrive in the warmer climate.

"Disappearing fish will include not only obscure species of minnows, suckers and pupfishes, but also coho salmon, most runs of steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, and Sacramento perch," Moyle added in a news release.

Rise in global temperature has resulted in the decline in the population of many freshwater fish, mostly in the regions of arid or Mediterranean climates.

In the Mediterranean, overfishing along with climate change has resulted in an increase in jellyfish population.

"These fish are part of the endemic flora and fauna that makes California such a special place. As we lose these fishes, we lose their environments and are much poorer for it," Moyle said.

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.                                                        

An entire list of native fish of the region can be found here and a list of the most threatened fish species can be found here.

Trout - another coldwater fish - is also found to be extremely vulnerable to rising temperatures.