These migrations could lead to "numerous extinctions" of marine species outside the Arctic and Antarctic, especially in tropical waters, according to the study's projections.
"These are major impacts that we are going to see within our lifetime and our children's lifetime," said William Cheung, lead author of the study, set to be published this week in the journal Fish and Fisheries.
"Climate change provides us with a kick in the pants," added Cheung, a marine biologist and lecturer at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. "We can't think about climate change and biodiversity without thinking about the impact it will have on people."
Researchers from the University of East Anglia, Princeton University and the Sea Around Us Project at the University of British Columbia participated in the study.
Using a combination of data from fisheries and computer models that can project the potential effects of climate change on biodiversity, researchers were able to make predictions on the migration patterns of different fish species under varying climate-change scenarios.
The study predicts that within 41 years, the global distribution of marine species will shift 60 percent as more fish move toward cooler waters near the Earth's poles.
"Even if we completely stop fishing, we will still see a big difference in 10 years," said Emily Pidgeon, senior technical adviser with the Regional Marine Strategies Department at Conservation International.
The study suggests that conservationists will have to adapt their approach to a shifting marine environment. Added Pidgeon, "The goal posts are changing, so we need to re-think and re-tool the way we look at fishery management."
