The debate continues about Global Warming, whether it’s a gradual warming of the Earth’s crust due to natural cyclic reasons, or whether cow farts and muscle cars are the root of all evil.

Like most of you, i’ll let the intelligentsia debate the issue, and when someone has a plan to fix it, we’ll do our share.

Of the many issues of interest, one with vast implications for both anglers and the rest of society is how the historic ranges of many species are expanding. Species move from the historic zones to new cooler areas trying to keep ahead of the temperature.

Maybe them “Africanized” killer bee’s and South American Fire Ants is smarter than we thought, as they may be the tip of the iceberg of a larger migration of everything northward.

As temperatures rise, animals are seeking cooler climes. In a study of more than 1,500 species, University of Texas biologist Camille Parmesan concluded that 40 percent had shifted their ranges, mostly toward the poles.

A dozen bird species have moved about 12 miles north in Britain, and 39 species of butterflies have shifted north by as much as 125 miles in Europe and North America, according to another study that Parmesan took part in.

Millions of Mediterranean jellyfish have turned up off Northern Ireland and Scotland. The Humboldt squid, which can grow up to 7 feet long, has moved up the California coast as ocean waters warmed.

“It’s the latest in a long series of bad news for fishermen,” said Stanford University’s Lou Zeidberg, adding that squid have been found as far north as Alaska in the past five years.

With warmer weather, 60 percent of plant and animal species are migrating, breeding and blooming earlier in the spring, Parmesan said. But not all are, and that could upset relationships between birds and the insects they feed on as well as insects and the flowers they pollinate.

I guess the “Good News” is that there aren’t many species that eat humans south of us, but if there were – they’ll be headed this way shortly… present company excluded, as most of the residents in Oregon and Washington insist that Californians eat their young…

We can expect a similar migration in our waterways. Having fished a number of “El Nino” seasons – I can vouch for the odd assortment of southern fish that showed up on my hook.

Scientists suggest that fast breeding species can adapt to climate change, slower species cannot. I assume the implication is, “if it lives 80 years and breeds once per annum, it has no chance…”

In the immortal words of John McClane, ” Welcome to the party, pal.”

Technorati Tags: species migration, global warming, El Nino, climate change