A recent study by oceanography experts monitored the migration of sardines from Mauritania and Senegal towards the Moroccan coast between 1995 and 2015 due to rising temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.
The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, revealed that the Ras Nouadhibou region, located in Mauritania, formed a transitional zone for the migratory movement of Sardinella aurita and Sardinella maderensis fish, which are known to be largely consumed by the citizens of northwest Africa.
Fishermen reported a worrying migration of sardines from Senegal and Mauritania towards the north (the Moroccan coast) during the past two decades, which caused a clear decrease in their numbers.
The study, entitled “Impacts of climate change on the distribution of small pelagic fish in northwest Africa: trends, shifts and risks to food security,” indicated that this decline is also linked to the intensification of fishing efforts during the study period from 1995 to 2015, and, in contrast, in some In other regions, fishing pressure and forage fish biomass are less closely related.
Experts explained the reasons for this migration as “environmental changes, especially ocean temperatures, which clearly appeared to have increased on the coasts of Mauritania and Senegal, which directly affects the movements of sardines and their lifestyle.”
As for the temperatures that constituted the main subject of the study, it became clear to the experts that “the Senegalese and Mauritanian coasts are getting hotter, which coincides with the rise of the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean,” indicating that the Cape Blanc region (Cape Nouadhibou) is considered transitional with regard to the sea surface layer; It is characterized by a regular increase in sea surface temperature and stability of bottom water, with significant anomalies in sea surface temperature observed throughout the year.
Climate change is dangerous.
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