THE GLOBAL WARNING
The Guardian Weekly|May 26, 2023
As seas around New Zealand heat at an unparalleled rate, scientists are starting to understand what it might mean for marine ecosystems around the world
Tess McClure
THE GLOBAL WARNING

IN THE SHALLOWS OF ARAMOANA, FISH ROILED THE SURFACE OF THE BAY, flickering through the water, reflecting the winter sunlight. Some floated belly up, stunned and dying. Others spun in tight circles. In shallow pools created by the eddying tide, they lay piled on their sides. Occasionally a fish would raise a single fin, worrying the water's edge. Peter Langlands waded in, grabbing live fish one by one. He had long been an active fisher on the coastlines of New Zealand's South Island, and knew they were ray's bream: good eating. Later, he would fillet them, and cook the firm white flesh with spices for a curry. Even as he thought ahead to the evening meal, though, Langlands felt a pang of worry.

The fish had been beaching for months - masses of them, through April, May, June, July. Entire schools died flapping in the Otago bays, their scales a dark, briny silver - an offshore fish, meant for deeper, colder waters. Locals posted videos of them surging over the sandbanks or laid out in their hundreds on the sand; of toddlers striding through the shallows to yank one out by the tail.

In 30 years of fishing, and writing for the local fishing magazine, Langlands had never seen anything like it.

Fish strandings are by no means unheard of - schools get chased in by predators, carried by storms, caught by the shallow sandbars of a bay. "Generally when that happens, though, you're talking about individual fish - not thousands and thousands over a six-month period," says Langlands. "I've never heard of anything happening on this scale before in New Zealand."

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYView all
If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?
The Guardian Weekly

If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?

The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024
'It's not drought - it's looting'
The Guardian Weekly

'It's not drought - it's looting'

Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 29, 2024
Life in the grey Zone
The Guardian Weekly

Life in the grey Zone

Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 29, 2024
Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40
The Guardian Weekly

Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40

Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024
Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail
The Guardian Weekly

Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail

Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024
Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet
The Guardian Weekly

Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet

Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?

time-read
5 mins  |
November 29, 2024
Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning
The Guardian Weekly

Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning

When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024
Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back
The Guardian Weekly

Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back

In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024
Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?
The Guardian Weekly

Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?

In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 29, 2024
Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp
The Guardian Weekly

Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp

A year after anti-immigration riots, a site for asylum seekers faces hostility while some locals try to help new arrivals

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024