Introduction
El Niño is here, and it's already disrupting fisheries across the Pacific. In just one month, the Peruvian government has canceled the anchovy fishing season, one of the country's most important exports and a leading source of fish oil and animal feed globally.
Impacts on Fisheries
The impacts of El Niño on fisheries are divergent. In some places, such as Peru, anchovy fishing has been canceled due to fish scarcity, while in others, such as Southern California, recreational and commercial fishermen are reporting some of the most successful months of tuna fishing they've ever seen.
These differences show how El Niño can create winners and losers in the fishing industry, devastating some species while making others easier to catch. For fishermen, the result is instability, with many forced to consider seasonal diversification.
Causes and Effects
El Niño is a climate phenomenon that occurs 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 catches, with huge declines occurring every few years around Christmas.
The reason El Niño has such different impacts on different fisheries has to do with the way it moves ocean water. Under normal conditions, trade winds blowing west along the equator move warm water from South America toward Asia, causing cold, nutrient-rich water to rise up from the depths, a process known as 'upwelling' that encourages the growth of tiny algae near the ocean's surface.
Economic and Environmental Consequences
Seafood prices are also likely to change due to El Niño's milder impacts outside the Pacific Ocean. Wild salmon, for example, can get so skinny from a lack of food during El Niño that they're dubbed 'snakes'; their decline in North American coastal waters can lead to higher ex-vessel prices that are then passed down to retail and restaurant customers.
Furthermore, El Niño can have significant environmental consequences, including the destruction of coral reefs and the deterioration of kelp, reducing the amount of oxygen available to maintain healthy ecosystems.
Conclusion
In summary, El Niño is a complex climate phenomenon that can have significant impacts on fisheries and marine ecosystems. It's essential to understand the causes and effects of El Niño to mitigate its negative impacts and promote the sustainability of fisheries and marine ecosystems.
Source / Reference
This story was originally published by Grist with the title El Niño is here, and it’s already scrambling fisheries throughout the Pacific on July 8, 2026.