{"id":787,"date":"2026-06-17T16:51:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T16:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/a-super-el-nino-has-the-power-to-devastate-fishing-and-leave-seals-and-sea-lions-starving\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T16:51:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T16:51:17","slug":"a-super-el-nino-has-the-power-to-devastate-fishing-and-leave-seals-and-sea-lions-starving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/a-super-el-nino-has-the-power-to-devastate-fishing-and-leave-seals-and-sea-lions-starving\/","title":{"rendered":"A \u2018super\u2019 El Ni\u00f1o has the power to devastate fishing \u2013 and leave seals and sea lions starving"},"content":{"rendered":"
Many sea lions died in previous super El Ni\u00f1o.<\/span> wildestanimal\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a more than 60% chance that a \u201csuper\u201d El Ni\u00f1o will develop by the end of this year. <\/p>\n

This is defined as the strongest El Ni\u00f1o event you can get, and happens when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise by more than 2\u00b0C<\/a>. During a super El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>, the ocean gives off extra heat into the air, which helps raise global temperatures. Because climate change<\/a> is already warming the planet, a super El Ni\u00f1o could push global temperatures to the highest levels ever recorded<\/a>.<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o conditions<\/a> have already begun this year, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While El Ni\u00f1o is a natural phenomenom, climate change means that El Ni\u00f1os are becoming stronger and more frequent<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Hotter sea surface temperatures could spell big problems for marine wildlife and fisheries alike. As the oceans warm, they become more layered, leading to warm, nutrient-poor water sitting on the surface, and cooler, nutrient-rich water trapped below. This layering makes it harder for nutrients to rise to the surface. As a result, there are fewer nutrients available for phytoplankton, the tiny plants that form the base of the marine food chain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With less phytoplankton in the oceans, there is less food for zooplankton (microscopic animals that eat phytoplankton), fish and larger animals including seabirds and marine mammals. This is even more pronounced for the tropical eastern Pacific. The Humboldt current usually brings cold, nutrient-rich water up to the surface<\/a>, creating one of the most productive marine regions on Earth<\/a>. But this current is disrupted and overwhelmed during an El Ni\u00f1o. This rich ecosystem supports both wildlife and important fisheries, making it one of the most biologically and economically important ocean regions in the world.<\/p>\n

\n \"Temperatures<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n Met Office<\/span>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dramatic effects on fisheries<\/h2>\n

Strong El Ni\u00f1o events are known to seriously affect Peruvian anchoveta stocks (Engraulis ringens<\/em>). The super El Ni\u00f1o led a 55% decline in catch<\/a> in 1972 and 51% on 1973, leading to severe economic hardship. The collapse was driven by El Ni\u00f1o combined with high fishing pressure, as fleets continued trying to maintain catch rates despite rapidly declining stocks. This forced government intervention in the fishery. <\/p>\n

The Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens<\/em>) is the basis of the world\u2019s largest single-species fishing area, worth an estimated US$1-3 billion (\u00a374.5 million-\u00a32 billion) each year<\/a>. Globally, this fishery accounts for about 20% of all fishmeal production, which in turn provides roughly half of the feed used in global aquaculture<\/a>. This makes the species not only vital for Peru\u2019s economy, but also essential for supporting fish farming and food production worldwide.<\/p>\n

Reduced fishing quotas<\/h2>\n

These days El Ni\u00f1o conditions lead to reduced quotas and fishery closures. The anchovy fishery is currently closed due to El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>. This has led to record-high fishmeal prices (US$2,500 per tonne) which will make aquaculture food more expensive<\/a> and lead to higher fish farming costs globally.<\/p>\n

While the Peruvian anchoveta fishery is perhaps one of the most severely effected and well-documented fisheries in response to El Ni\u00f1o, other fisheries across the globe are also affected by these changing ocean conditions. Along the Californian coast, squid landings plummet during El Ni\u00f1o years<\/a>. Similarly, in the Indian Ocean, tuna catches appear to be at their lowest after a strong El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>. Not all fish stocks decline, and some have been shown to increase in response to warmer temperatures<\/a>. Declining and altered fish stocks during El Ni\u00f1o have been shown to lead to increased fish \u201cwars\u201d between countries in the South China Sea, as fishermen follow migrating fish stocks into other countries economic zones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n \"An
\n Anchovy stocks in Peru are likely to be seriously affected.<\/span>
\n Corrado Baratta\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dying coral reefs<\/h2>\n

El Ni\u00f1o can also have a major impact on marine habitats. One of the most widely recognised effects is on coral reefs<\/a>, with warmer marine temperatures triggering bleaching, causing corals to expel the microscopic algae they rely on for energy, and in some cases die<\/a>. During El Ni\u00f1o years, widespread bleaching becomes common across the tropical Pacific, Indian Ocean, south-east Asia and north-east Australia<\/a>, highlighting the ripple effect of El Ni\u00f1o. <\/p>\n

The recent 2023-24 El Ni\u00f1o triggered unprecedented heat stress across the globe, with extensive mortality documented in many countries (for instance Mexico<\/a>, Australia<\/a> and Costa Rica<\/a>).<\/p>\n

But it is not just coral reefs that are at risk. In the Galapagos Islands, seaweed and coral habitats have disappeared, or are extremely degraded, due to sensitivity to El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>. Similarly, mangroves have suffered mortality in Australia<\/a>, while in California, kelp populations have decreased by 50-70%<\/a> during El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

Starvation of seals and sea lions<\/h2>\n

Large marine animals have suffered during strong El Ni\u00f1o. Most notable has been the starvation of a large proportion of fur seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis<\/em>) and sea lions (Zalophus californianus wollebaeki<\/em>) in the Galapagos<\/a>, and the dramatic reduction in seabird populations in Peru<\/a>. Many South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis<\/em>) and South American sea lions (Otaria byronia<\/em>) along the southern coast of Peru<\/a> died. The mother seals remained at sea for longer than ever recorded before, and this is likely to be because they were looking for food.<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o can trigger harmful algal blooms, which occur when tiny algae in the water grow really fast and produce toxins that can harm animals and people<\/a>. These blooms have led widespread deaths of whales when they feed in affected areas near the coast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to determine what the extent of a super El Ni\u00f1o will be on marine life. But with our oceans already struggling under climate change, and little time for marine populations to recover from the last El Ni\u00f1o of 2023-24<\/a>, it could be the most devastating one yet.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Samantha Garrard currently receives funding from a UKRI policy fellowship<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many sea lions died in previous super El Ni\u00f1o. wildestanimal\/Shutterstock There is a more than 60% chance that a \u201csuper\u201d El Ni\u00f1o will develop by the end of this year. This is defined as the strongest El Ni\u00f1o event you can get, and happens when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}