Tropical fish caught in Thames
A tropical fish has been caught by a man fishing off Southend Pier. The exotic looking rainbow wrasse, a semi-tropical species normally found in the warmer waters of the Mediterranean, adds to the number of unusual species discovered in the Thames Estuary over recent years.
Experts claim that the rainbow wrasse discovery is yet another example of rising sea temperatures luring tropical fish into British waters. David Knapp, curator of the Sea Life Adventure Centre in Southend, said to PA News that he had never heard of a rainbow wrasse being found off the Essex Coast before and to find one so far north was a clear sign of the Thames Estuary warming up by about 3° Celsius. Experts believe that as long as temperatures keep rising, exotic fish will be an increasingly common sight along the British coast.
(23 August 2004, Thames Estuary Partnership Magazine)