Climate crisis, overfishing threaten access to nutrients in fish

Researchers have warned that overfishing could threaten the world’s supply of essential vitamins and minerals gained from fisheries. 

Globally, 1 billion people rely on fish and seafood as their primary source of protein. Also, fish is a key source of micronutrients. 

Overfishing and the climate crisis are two of the most prominent threats to marine life. They affect the size, distribution and abundance of the marine species globally.

In order to determine how these growing pressures influence the nutritional contribution of global fisheries, a team of researchers led by Lancaster University combined data on the micronutrient content of species with a vulnerability index. This indicates species' susceptibility to climate change and overfishing. 

Also read | Despite recent recovery, Great Barrier Reef may not be able to survive climate change

Also, the researchers applied these metrics to more than 800 fish species across 157 countries.

Dr Eva Maire, a senior research associate at Lancaster University and lead author of the study was quoted by The Guardian saying, "When we look at the country level, climate change is the most pervasive threat to the supply of vital micronutrients, and in particular in the tropics". 

It was concluded that in just 40 per cent of the countries which were studied, fisheries are highly vulnerable to climate change, threatening food security for millions of people. 
Maire explained, "A key reason for why climate change is such a threat comes down to the species of fish that these countries are targeting as part of the catches".