It is not only humans and animals on land who are being affected by global warming. Climate change brought on by the greenhouse effect is also putting fish at risk, according to a new environmental assessment report.
The report, 'Are we putting our fish in hot water?', was released by the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently.
It warns that fish are being threatened by rising temperatures in rivers, lakes and oceans. Hotter water means less food, less offspring and less oxygen for marine and freshwater fish populations.
Experts say the rise in temperatures may stunt the growth of some fish, resulting in fewer offspring.
Normally the metabolism of fish speeds up as temperatures rise, but insufficient food supplies could slow down growth and reproduction rates. Some fish, such as salmon, catfish and sturgeon, cannot reproduce if winter temperatures do not drop below a certain level.
Worse still, freshwater fish may suffer a lack of oxygen as waters become warmer. They depend on oxygen in the water. But, as temperatures rise, rivers and lakes will have less oxygen.
Meanwhile, higher temperatures may force fish populations to move to cooler waters.