| Climate refers to the long-term average pattern of weather conditions in a particular area, while climate change denotes persistent changes in climatic conditions resulting from natural and anthropogenic factors. Climate change can substantially affect inland fisheries by altering water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH, water availability, biodiversity and productivity, thereby influencing fish growth, reproduction, survival and food security. In marine ecosystems, climate change affects species habitats, distributions and biological characteristics, leading many fish species to shift towards higher latitudes and modify their horizontal and vertical movements in response to changing environmental conditions.
Keywords: Aquatic ecosystems, Biodiversity, Climate change, Environmental change, Fish biology.
|