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Data from satellites, buoys and robotics gliders complements CalCOFI CTD seawater sampling. (Photo: FIS)
El Niño may impact West Coast fishing industry
UNITED STATES
Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 03:10 (GMT + 9)
The ongoing 2010 El Niño could affect the West Coast fishing industry, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego.
Researchers with the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) at Scripps and NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center are observing a stronger than normal northward movement of warm water up the Southern California coast, a high sea-level event in January and low amounts of plankton and pelagic fish. Sea surface temperatures along the entire West Coast are 0.5 to 1 degree Celsius warmer than normal.
“Based on our previous experience of El Niño in California, it is likely to reduce ocean production below normal, with possible effects extending to breeding failure of seabirds, and much lower catches in the market squid fishery,” said Sam McClatchie, a fisheries oceanographer at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries.
Satellite remote sensing and field measurements together give scientists a broader view of the evolution of this El Niño that was not available during previous ones. NOAA Southwest Fisheries oceanographer Frank Schwing said scientists’ analytical tools better assess the strength of anomalies such as warming associated with the system.
“We’re taking a much more ecosystem-based approach to managing the system,” said Schwing. “Because we are more on top of the observations, we can give a more timely heads-up to scientists and managers who are interested in the effects of El Niño.
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| Graph shows Sea Surface Temperature (Source: NASA, DAAC) |
Both research centers use data collected by satellites and buoy-mounted instruments to gauge sea surface temperature. CalCOFI researchers embark on quarterly cruises off California’s coast to gather vertical temperature profiles in the upper reaches of the water column and count eggs of commercially important species such as sardines and anchovies, as well as measure plankton volumes to estimate the amount of “production” available to marine organisms.
NOAA’s Advanced Survey Technologies Group assesses fish populations through acoustic surveys. Scripps now deploys Spray gliders, diving robots that now collect ocean temperature and other data along transects between CalCOFI stations.
The NOAA and CalCOFI scientists have seen a fall in biological abundance apparently related to the northward movement of warm water. Such warm water often stifles the flow of nutrients from lower ocean depths that sustain larger populations of marine species.
Fewer hake and anchovy eggs than usual were reported in the most recent CalCOFI surveys, with sanddab and flounder eggs dominating the samples.
If El Niño conditions continue, scientists said, they are likely to be characterized by weaker than normal upwelling and lower biological production. El Niño conditions are forecast to persist into spring, which may bring greater biological anomalies.
Related article:
- 'El Niño' to minimally impact fishing sector
By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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