Ocean acidification could leave fish unable to smell their prey

Fish will struggle to track prey in oceans that are more acidic

By Chelsea Whyte

Fish follow their noses to navigate the world, but that may soon be tricky. As the climate warms and oceans hold more carbon dioxide, fish will have to get 42 per cent closer to an odour source to find mates, hunt prey, or make their way to spawning grounds.

That’s what Cosima Porteus at the University of Exeter found when she and her colleagues subjected European sea bass to elevated CO2. They observed sea bass in water that mimics …