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The storms could kill fish, destroy their habitats and make it unsafe for fishermen to go out to sea. Roughly 3.1 billion people rely on fish for their protein and nutrients.

Stronger and more frequent storms triggered by climate change could pose a major threat to the fishing industry and the people who rely on it, a recent study says.

and destroy their habitats, interfere with fish breeding, and make it more dangerous for fishermen navigate waters.

“, productivity, assets and jobs and to the health of billions of people around the world who rely on fish for their daily nutrition,” study lead author and University of Exeter researcher Nigel Sainsbury said in a release on the findings. “Changing storminess could have serious consequences for vulnerable coastal communities around the world.”

The study also suggests there’s a possibility the East China Sea will be more exposed to tropical cyclones and there could be more frequent storms after monsoons in the Arabian Sea.

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“Our past research has shown how warming seas gradually change thecomposition of fisheries by shifts indistribution,” study co-author and University of Exeter marine biologist Steve Simpson said in the release. “But storms can radically change fish populations via temporary or permanent displacement, and caninterrupt fish larval dispersal and damage or destroy essential habitat that fish depend upon.”

Fisheries and the seafood industry account for and provide 1.83 million jobs per year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Additionally, roughly 3.1 billion people rely on fish for their protein and nutrients, according to the release.

Researchers say more focus needs to be placed on the effects of future storms that could cause more sudden and destructive impacts on fish than warming ocean temperatures.

“Understanding how storms interact with fishery social-ecological systems can inform adaptive action and help to reduce the vulnerability of those dependent on fisheries for life and livelihood,” wrote the scientists.