Report sees broad impacts of coastal ocean acidification

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Addressing the growing problem of ocean acidification in New England waters before it severely damages the region’s crucial shellfish industry is the focus of an important report by a commission of Massachusetts legislators, state environmental agencies, marine research and conservation organizations, and shellfish industry leaders. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a part of the 18-member Massachusetts Special Legislative Commission on Ocean Acidification and helped co-author the 84-page report released today. Upwards of 30 percent of excess carbon dioxide, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, has been absorbed by the ocean. The chemical reactions that occur as a result of increasing carbon dioxide concentration in the water, as well as nutrient runoff from farms and roads, makes the ocean more acidic. That can affect shellfish such as clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, and lobsters, and their ability to form and maintain healthy protective shells. Rising ocean temperat

February 9, 2021 Shellfishing is a crucial part of the seafood industry in Massachusetts, which in 2016 alone supported 87,000 jobs and generated $7.7 billion in sales, the vast majority coming from scallops and lobsters that are increasingly threatened by ocean acidification. (Photo by Erin Koenig, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Addressing the growing problem of ocean acidification in New England waters before it severely damages the region’s crucial shellfish industry is the focus of an important report by a commission of Massachusetts legislators, state environmental agencies, marin

Report sees broad impacts of coastal ocean acidification

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