‘Our new normal’: how marine heatwaves affect life in British seas
Marine heatwaves are causing significant shifts in British marine life, with native species moving north and new species appearing in warmer waters. Experts note that these temperature changes are becoming a 'new normal' for the ecosystem.
Why it matters
Illustrates the tangible, long-term ecological consequences of rising ocean temperatures on local biodiversity and fishing industries.
The small spotted catshark (or lesser-spotted dogfish), a widely found species in British seas, may be moving into deeper waters as temperatures rise. As warming seas push native species to cooler waters farther north, once-rare visitors have become more common
About this content Mon 17 Aug 2026 05.00 EDT Last modified on Mon 17 Aug 2026 05.15 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google ‘I t sounds silly but I thought it was a person in the water waving,” says Kurt Lander, skipper of the Yellowfin charter boat, based out of Brighton. But when he grabbed his binoculars, he realised the fluttering movement he had noticed in the middle of the Channel shipping lane was a pair of sunfish.
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