Fish losing their survival instinct, research reveals

Fish are losing their survival instinct — even becoming attracted to the smell of their predators — as the world’s oceans become more acidic because of climate change, new research has found.

The study of fish in coral reefs off the coast of Papua New Guinea — where the waters are naturally acidic — showed the animals’ behaviour became riskier.

“Fish will normally avoid the smell of a predator; that makes perfect sense,” said lead author Philip Munday from Australia’s James Cook University.