Here is some bad news for seafood aficionados. Two recent reports have warned that climate change is resulting in the decimation of their favorite seafood including lobsters. In fact, saltwater diseases are more prevalent in oceans with warmer temperatures.
Despite the fact that lobsters are adapting to the threat by developing a shell that protects them from diseases causing lesions and rendering them inedible, divers in San Juan Island have reported that these days they hardly find any lobsters these days.
Climate change has caused the temperatures of the waters in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to go up leading to increased diseases that are killing lobsters. These diseases penetrate the shells of lobsters causing lesions and turning them into "goo," Washington Post reported quoting the findings of two new studies. Biologists have stated that these outbreaks are not only lethal but have led to the disappearance of at least one sea star species off the coasts of Washington as well as British Columbia.
The co-author of one of the two studies has warned that while the lobster fishery has already been ruined in southern New England, it may threaten Maine soon.
According to the findings of these studies, a wasting disease is responsible for the Technicolor sunflower sea star vanishing from the Pacific Ocean. Scientists at the University of Puget Sound, Cornell University and the Northeastern University have warned that these wasting saltwater diseases may also wipe out the ochre sea star soon.
According to these scientists, they first noticed lobsters being affected by these wasting diseases off the Long Island Sound as well as other places along the East Coast way back in the '90s, Huffington Post reported. Apparently, warmer seas have helped to spread the diseases rapidly. In fact, female lobsters are more vulnerable to these wasting diseases since they shed their shells more frequently.
The worst part is that the scientists themselves are not certain regarding the steps that need to be initiated to stop the situation from deteriorating further. However, they have said that they would be reviewing the situation again during this spring.
