Days May Be Numbered for UK's Beloved Fish and Chips

Britain's beloved national dish of fish and chips may have to be updated for changing times—along with the saying "plenty of fish in the sea." Researchers say that cold-water fish like cod and haddock traditionally used in the dish are vanishing from British waters as the seas warm up, meaning that the affordable choice in the future may have to be squid, which are thriving in the new conditions, reports Reuters. "In the long term we will need to adapt our diets," Dr. John Pinnegar, director for marine climate change at the Center for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science, told the British Ecological Society's annual meeting on Monday. "In 2025 and beyond, we may need to replace cod and other old favorites with warm-water species such as squid, mackerel, sardine, and red mullet."

Pinnegar tells the BBC that species like cod, which were already in long-term decline in British waters due to overfishing, are now shifting their ranges northward, while fishing boats are now catching species usually associated with Spanish or Portuguese waters. Pinnegar says most squid caught in British waters are currently exported—but that may change if squid and chips catches on. The Washington Post notes that on social media, reactions among the British ranged from "never" to "bring on the calamari." (Earlier this year, a study found that squid, octopuses, and cuttlefish are thriving amid changing ocean conditions, while finned fish are in decline.)