What fish redistribution in the Mediterranean is telling us about species’ climate resilience

In the last two decades, as a result of climate-driven sea warming, almost half of commercially relevant fish in the Mediterranean have been deserting their original habitats in their quest for higher latitudes, depths and cooler waters. KinoMasterskaya / Shutterstock, CC BY

Over the past twenty years, nearly half of commercially important Mediterranean fish species have shifted their distribution due to climate change, causing marine species to move away from their historical locations. These significant changes in fish habits are expected to have a major impact on biodiversity, ecosystems and fishing opportunities.

On a global scale, species have been observed shifting towards higher latitudes and depths, in search of cooler conditions.