Some fish species are shrinking, scientists say, probably due to global heating

A shoal of Atlantic mackerel. Researchers say the species is growing in abundance as it takes the place in the ecosystem of larger species that are shrinking. Photograph: blickwinkel/Alamy

A global analysis of thousands of animal and plant sizes has found that species are shrinking, an effect most clearly found by researchers in changes to the body size of fish, which are getting smaller.

Species such as the thorny skate, a north Atlantic fish that can grow up to a metre in length, have become smaller, while smaller-bodied species such as mackerel are growing in abundance, according to the researchers, changing the composition and functioning of ecosystems.