How Europe's intensifying marine heatwaves threaten its fisheries

Europe’s marine heatwaves are setting new records that are already reshaping fisheries, according to a Reuters analysis of sea-surface temperatures. The hottest summer months since reliable satellite data began in 1982 were recorded from the English Channel to the Mediterranean. An offshore buoy near Mallorca hit 33.02°C (91.44°F) on August 5, the highest in Spain’s buoy network. Across June to August, European seas averaged 21.6°C (70.9°F), the highest in 45 years. The Bay of Biscay remained relatively cooler but still averaged 21.4°C, over 2.4°C above the 1991–2020 baseline. Marine heatwaves now logged far more days than in the 1980s, including 186 by late August. The result is disappearing species like kelp and shifting marine life toward newly hospitable waters.