Shrinking fish drive decline in size of animal and plant species, says study

Analysis of thousands of species finds some invertebrates and plants also getting smaller, while others are increasing in body size

A global analysis of thousands of animal and plant sizes has found that species are shrinking, an effect most clearly found by researchers in changes to the body size of fish, which are getting smaller.

Species such as the thorny skate, a north Atlantic fish that can grow up to a metre in length, have become smaller, while smaller-bodied species such as mackerel are growing in abundance, according to the researchers, changing the composition and functioning of ecosystems.