This program was broadcast live on October 17, 2019. Dr. Rebecca Asch presented her research on the impact of climate change on larval fish in her program, "Ocean Babies: How the Ocean and Climate Influence Fisheries During Their First Year of Life".
Many marine fish can produce 1 million eggs or more when they spawn. However, under stable conditions, only two of those eggs will survive to become adult fishes that successfully reproduce. Since the survival rate of fish eggs, larvae, and juveniles is so low, this means that even small changes in growth and mortality can add up to have large impacts on the productivity of fisheries. The ocean and climate can affect survival of young fish in many ways: currents can transport fish into inhospitable habitats, cold snaps can stress young fish, and low levels of plankton can cause fish to starve or slow down their growth. In this talk, Dr. Asch, an Assistant Professor at East Carolina University, will present two case studies about how the ocean is affecting young-of-year fish. In the first case study, Dr. Asch will discuss changes in the time of year when fish larvae enter estuaries in North Carolina. In the second case study, Dr. Asch will describe how climate change may impact where and when Nassau Grouper, an endangered Caribbean reef fish, spawn.
