What Are The Potential Impacts For Californias Fishing Industry?
Studies found that as a result of changes in ocean conditions, the distribution and abundance of major fish stocks will change substantially. Impacts to fisheries related to El Nino/ Southern Oscillation illustrate how climate directly impacts marine fisheries on short term scales. Higher sea surface temperatures in 1997-1998 during the El Nino had a great impact on market squid, California’s largest fishery by volume. The California Regional Assessment reports that landings fell to less than 1,000 metric tons in that season, down from a 110,000 tons in the 1996-1997 season. Other unusual events also occurred such as poor salmon returns, a series of plankton blooms, and seabird die-offs.
