Antarctic fish growing pink skin tumours ‘as climate change makes them more prone to disease’

The fish developed tumours as a result of a parasitic illness, thought to be worsened by the climate crisis, Furvah Shah reports

Researchers had been observing Antarctic fish for a decade (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The climate crisis may be causing fish in the Antarctic to grow skin tumours, according to new research.

A study by biologists at the University of Oregon found that fish they observed over a decade developed tumours as a result of a parasitic illness, thought to be worsened by warming waters and melting ice.

The species of fish observed are part of a group called notothenioids, which have evolved to adapt to their icy environment, making proteins that prevent their blood from freezing.