date:May 07, 2014
s. The tiny snails make up 45 percent of the diet of pink salmon; they also are a food source for herring and mackerel.
Researchers at NOAAs Pacific Marine Environmental Lab in Seattle said the percentage of pteropods with corroded shells has doubled in near shore areas since the pre-industrial era. Study co-author William Peterson said scientists did not expect to see pteropods being affected to this extent for several decades. The number of snails with dissolving shells is likely to triple by