Featured Image Credit: Galveston Sea Ventures
The hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico was a difficult season. You are likely aware of the devastating impacts to human lives that lived along the coast. However, the impacts to the natural populations along the coast were also destructive.
Even though the natural ecosystems were significantly affected by the hurricane season, coastal fish were able to spawn anyways. Scientists and fishermen alike were worried that the coastal fish would be unable to spawn based on the turbulent aftermath of the storms. However, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin were able to show that some coastal fish species can spawn even if the weather is bad.
The continued spawning is great new for communities along the Gulf Coast. The destruction on land is still very apparent, but the future livelihoods of the coastal community may be saved. These spawning fish support a multibillion dollar industry for recreational fishing along the coast.
Christopher Biggs, the lead author of the paper, had this to say about the study, “This data gives us a little insight into how key species will handle changing and unpredictable conditions. They are somewhat preadapted to this. They regularly deal with changing situations. They might be better suited to handle the changing climate in the future.”
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