Climate change might be making fish smaller

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Climate change may be altering the size of the planet's fish, according to new research.

A recent study published in the journal Global Change Biology suggests that rising temperatures in oceans might be shrinking fish. Warmer waters mean less oxygen, something fish need to grow into adulthood.

Fish use their gills to breath underwater. From an evolutionary perspective, less oxygen would see gills adapting to warmer waters by becoming smaller.

Researchers found that warming oceans may cause fish such as tuna and trout to shrink by around 30 and 8 percent respectively.

They estimate that worldwide, this trend could reduce the amount of fish that can be caught for food by 30 percent, Global News reported, citing the study.