Climate Preview? Pacific Ocean ‘Blob’ Seems To Take Toll On Alaska Cod

"Warm water linked to the blob appears to have knocked back Gulf of Alaska cod. Fishing fleets, many based in Washington, are bracing for cuts."

"Gulf of Alaska cod populations appear to have nose-dived, a collapse fishery scientists believe is linked to warm water temperatures known as 'the blob' that peaked in 2015.

The decline is expected to substantially reduce the Gulf cod harvests that in recent years have been worth — before processing — more than $50 million to Northwest and Alaska fishermen who catch them with nets, pot traps and baited hooks set along the sea bottom.

The blob also could foreshadow the effects of climate change on the marine ecosystem off Alaska’s coast, where chilly waters rich with food sustain North America’s richest fisheries."

Hal Bernton reports for the Seattle Times November 4, 2017.