El Niño phenomenon impacts Humboldt Current and Chilean fisheries

Extreme El Niño conditions are causing severe ecological and economic disruptions to the Humboldt Current ecosystem. Guido Plaza, an academic from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), warns that marine warming is driving species to migrate to more suitable areas, reducing the availability of resources adapted to cold, high-productivity waters.

Oceanographic monitoring by the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP) corroborates these findings. The Arica Artisanal Fishermen's Union has reported drastic declines in specific catches, including an 80% drop in bonito, a 100% decrease in corvina, and a 90% reduction in other resources. These shortages are contributing to rising prices and impacting local family economies.

The environmental shift is characterized by the movement of nutrient-poor waters, which reduces primary production and alters plankton composition. This disruption affects forage species like the anchoveta, creating a negative ripple effect throughout the entire trophic web.