Growing hypoxic zones reduce habitat for billfish and tuna

Samples of surface skin slime are taken
from the Atlantic sailfish to determine gender. (Credit: NOAA)

ScienceDaily (2010-12-23) -- Billfish and tuna, important commercial and recreational fish species, may be more vulnerable to fishing pressure because of shrinking habitat, according to a new study. An expanding zone of low oxygen, known as a hypoxic zone, in the Atlantic Ocean is encroaching upon these species' preferred oxygen-abundant habitat, forcing them into shallower waters where they are more likely to be caught.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101222162402.htm