# South Korea’s beloved squid may vanish from its waters due to climate change, heat waves

- community: Ocean & Outdoors (outdoors)
- author: oceanismychurch
- posted: 2026-11-11T07:57:13.074308Z (4h ago)
- score: 1 · 0 replies
- address: https://dboft.com/post/22185/south-koreas-beloved-squid-may-vanish-from-its-waters-due-to-climate
- link: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/south-koreas-beloved-squid-may-vanish-from-its-waters-due-to-climate-change-heat-waves/

A study by researchers at Pukyong National University in Busan looked at whether ocean changes explain the falling catch of Pacific flying squid (Todarodes pacificus) in South Korean waters.

- The researchers compared fishery records from 1993 to 2025 with data on sea temperatures, currents, winds and climate conditions in the Pacific, then ran models.
- Models predict South Korea could reach a "zero-catch state" for the squid between 2043 and 2048, depending on emissions. Sea surface temperatures around the peninsula rose 0.7°C over the past decade, more than twice the global average.
- Marine heat waves (periods of unusually warm seawater lasting at least five straight days) add stress on top of long-term warming. Catch records are not a direct count of all squid in the sea, the authors caution.

> "Catch records are valuable, but they are not a direct count of all squid in the sea." (Kim Kyung-hoi, the study's corresponding author)