Tuna Metabolism Affected By Warming Waters

Researchers have discovered that tuna and great white sharks can redirect heat from their muscles to organs like the brain using a specialized blood vessel system. Tuna already consume their own weight daily, and warming oceans risk starving them. Additionally, rising temperatures may cause overheating, forcing them to migrate or slow their swimming to avoid cooking. These fish face a dual danger of heat and starvation, compounded by overfishing. This accelerated metabolism requires them to eat twice as much, potentially impacting their daily food intake which can already be their own weight. The findings suggest that climate change is negatively affecting tuna, as they are forced to expend more energy to maintain body heat. This increased consumption forces tuna and basking sharks to dive deeper, migrate, or slow their swimming to avoid overheating. The heightened metabolic rate exacerbates the threat of overfishing to already endangered tuna populations. Overfishing further exacerbates these challenges. Tuna and sharks face overheating when water temperatures exceed 17 degrees Celsius. Sustainable fishing methods like pole-and-line are recommended. The phenomenon is particularly concerning for the bluefin tuna, which begin to overheat above 17 degrees Celsius.