Climate change could threaten Sweden’s shrimp
Warmer water as a consequence of climate change could threaten Swedish shrimp production on the west coast, as the animals could move north to find a cooler environment.
A new Swedish study shows that the distribution of the North Sea prawn, also known as pink shrimp, is connected to water temperature, which could cause it to disappear from Sweden’s coasts.
“The shrimp could have a hard time surviving in the south, and Sweden is the southern limit for this animal,” Carl André, marine ecology professor at Gothenburg University, tells Swedish Radio News.
More research needed
Experts believe that Swedish shrimp could also adapt to warmer water in the future, instead of moving north. But to prove this, more research on the animal’s DNA is needed.
If they adapt to the new environment, they are likely to taste worse, due to the increased water acidity the temperature increase would bring.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Fighting to protect bird habitat in North America’s boreal forest (SLIDESHOW), Eye on the Arctic
Finland: New measures to protect the Saimaa seal in Finland, Yle News
Iceland: Endangered whale meat shipped from Iceland via Halifax, The Canadian Press
Norway: Rapid growth in Svalbard walrus population, Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden’s mountain hares changing fur color too early, Radio Sweden
United States: Banned pollutants turn up in Alaska fur seals, Alaska Dispatch News
