https://www.ecowatch.com/spain-shellfish-population-collapse-climate-change.html

Spanish fishers in Galicia — Europe’s main source of shellfish and the biggest producer of mussels in the world —  are reporting a “catastrophic” collapse in shellfish populations due to the climate crisis.

Some shellfish stocks have plummeted by 90 percent in just a few years, reported The Guardian.

The clams and cockles local residents depend on and have been harvesting for years are disappearing fast. Extreme weather events like torrential rain and heat waves have become more intense and frequent due to climate change, threatening the region’s marine species.

“Either the shellfish adapt, or they die, and us too,” said Patricia Piñeiro, who harvests clams in the small fishing town of Cambados, but has been having an increasingly difficult time finding ones big enough to harvest, as Mongabay reported. “They’re just too small.”

Piñeiro held a measuring device provided by local fishing authorities that was set to 1.5 inches — the minimum size for harvesting the bivalves.

There has been a steep decline in clams, mussels and cockles, according to a fishing website, reported The Guardian. The cockles and clams are collected at low tide by hand, while mussels are taken from the ocean on ropes attached to wooden rafts.

Cockle numbers fell by 80 percent in 2023, compared with the year before, while some clam varieties dropped by 78 percent. Oyster production has seen a slight increase.

Mussel production in 2024 was the lowest in 25 years, falling to 178,000 tonnes from 250,000 tonnes in 2021.

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https://www.ecowatch.com/spain-shellfish-population-collapse-climate-change.html