Fish and chips are going to become an endangered dish (Getty)

One of Britain’s favourite dishes could be off the menu by 2050 if global warming continues to threaten the planet.

Fish and chips may become a thing of the past due to the declining populations of haddock and cod in the world’s oceans.

In a new study, scientists have claimed the popular marine species could be wiped out as oxygen levels in the sea decrease through rising temperatures.

The study analysed crustaceans in Antarctic waters and found they got smaller in size when oxygen levels were lower.


Marine zoologist Prof John Spicer, who led the team from the University of Plymouth carrying out the study alongside the British Antarctic Survey said it was a ‘major cause for concern’.

Rising ocean temperatures are having an effect on fish populations (PA)

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‘Many large species will almost certainly be the first casualties of our warming, oxygen-poor ocean,’ he said.

The study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, suggests failure to control greenhouse gases will have a greater impact on marine ecosystems than previously feared.

Prof Spicer said: ‘Over the past 50 years, the oxygen in our oceans has decreased by around 2-5%. This is already having an effect on species’ ability to function.

‘Unless they adapt, many larger marine invertebrates will either shrink in size or face extinction. This would have a profoundly negative impact on the ecosystems of which they are a part.’

It’s one of Britain’s most popular dishes (Getty)

Dr Simon Morley, of the British Antarctic Survey, added: ‘Understanding these impacts will not only help us to predict the fate of marine biodiversity at the poles but teach us much about the mechanisms that will determine the survival of species.’

Previous studies have suggested the fish will shrink by up to a quarter by 2050.