El Niño is already wreaking havoc on Pacific fisheries

We’re not even One month in The “super” El Niño phenomenon.It is a natural weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean characterized by warmer than average sea surface temperatures, and fisheries around the world are already faltering.

In Peru, government officials have effectively canceled the fishing season for anchovies, one of the country’s most important exports and a major source of fish oil and animal feed globally. The Indian government is preparing for a smaller season, Indian mackerel are less abundant. Meanwhile, in Southern California, recreational and commercial fishermen reported some of the most successful tuna fishing months they have ever seen.

The contrasting situations explain how El Niño can arise Winners and losers Through the fishing industry, eliminating some species while making it easier to catch others. For fishermen, the result is instability, with many forced to consider seasonal diversification. Consumers can expect fluctuations in the prices of major fishery products.

“People are worried,” said Juan Carlos Suero, an economist and fisheries director at the non-profit Oceana Peru. It is also expected to drive climate change More frequent and stronger El Niño: “Our vulnerability is increasing.”

The child is A Weather phenomenon It happens every two to seven years in the tropical Pacific Ocean. It was named by Peruvian fishermen who hundreds of years ago noticed periodic fluctuations in their catch, with huge declines occurring every few years around Christmas. They called it “El Niño” after the baby Jesus.

Their varying effects on different fisheries are due to the way they move around ocean waters.

Under normal conditions, trade winds blowing westward along the equator move warm water from South America toward Asia. This causes cold, nutrient-rich water to rise from the depths, a process known as “bottom upwelling” that encourages the growth of tiny algae near the ocean’s surface. But during El Niño, weak trade winds slow or even stop this buildup. The decline in algae at the surface means that species that depend on them, such as anchovies, are forced to forage for larvae in deeper waters. This not only makes catching fish more difficult, but it can also lead to damage pressure and reduce their population.

At the same time, ocean dynamics can enhance other fisheries. El Niño often experiences species that live in warm waters, e.g Skipjack tuna They move towards the coastal waters of the Americas, where temperatures are usually too cold for them. Closer to the shore, catching these species becomes easier.

Both of these dynamics affect Peru, where El Niño has devastated the country in the past Anchovies fisheries – The largest single-species fishery in the world– Increasing the availability of shrimp, scallops, dolphin fish and tuna. In the spring and summer, coastal El Niño conditions stressed the country’s anchovies, prompting the government to take action on the issue. Issuing an indefinite ban They must be hunted during the April to July season so that their population does not decrease further. Ships equipped with sonar technology were locating anchovies more than 100 meters below sea level, said Humberto Speziani, a Peruvian industrial fishing consultant and former director of the International Marine Organisation. Even if commercial fishermen were trying to catch anchovies, they probably wouldn’t have been able to—that’s twice the depth that can be reached with regular fish. Her wallet Fishing nets.

Seafood prices are also subject to change, due to the effects of moderate El Niño events outside the Pacific Ocean. Wild salmonFor example, they can become so thin due to lack of food during El Niño that they are called “Snakes;” Its decline in North American coastal waters could lead to its rise Ex-ship rates— which fishermen receive at the pier — which is then passed on to retail and restaurant customers. In local Peruvian markets, prices of jack mackerel and corvina rose It has reportedly already doubledWhich prompted families to buy more chicken instead. The opposite may happen with species such as shrimp, whose numbers have boomed during the past El Niño phenomenon, Suero said.