Warmer seas threaten brown shrimp off Swedish coast

The brown shrimp population off Sweden's west coast could migrate to colder waters further north as global warming heats up their current habitat, new research has found.

The shrimp, a breed commonly found in the southern part of the North Sea, could leave the area as the waters heat up in the future, according to a Gothenburg University study cited by public broadcaster Swedish Radio on Wednesday.

"The shrimp might struggle to make it in the southern part (of the sea)," Carl Andre, a professor of marine archaeology, told the channel.

The researchers found a correlation between the shellfish's sea presence and water temperatures after collecting shrimp DNA in parts of the North Atlantic.

Previous research has shown that sea temperatures pushed up by climate change can cause marine species to search for colder surroundings.

Brown shrimp, a species that has been classified as nearly threatened by extinction by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, could also begin to taste differently as the lower North Sea heats up and turns more sour.

Yet Andre refused to rule out the possibility that the North Sea shrimp adapt to their new habitat, in which case he said their breed would develop a more unique gene pool.

"That's the big issue with climate change at sea: will species be able to adapt to changed temperatures and salt levels over 50 to 100 years," Andre said. Endit