El Niño heat drives fish away from Pacific coasts of Latin America
Rising sea temperatures linked to a strong El Niño are forcing tuna, anchovies and other catches to move offshore, leaving fishermen from Ecuador to Guatemala with nearly empty nets.
A powerful El Niño event is heating Pacific waters along Latin America, prompting key species like tuna and anchovies to migrate to cooler depths far from shore. Fishermen from Ecuador’s Santa Rosa to Panama’s Veracruz beach describe catching only a handful of fish, with some vessels remaining idle for weeks. Oceanographer Jonathan Cedeno documented surface temperature rises of 2.5-3 °C and deeper increases of up to six degrees over the past ten weeks.
The shift forces captains such as Rigoberto Gonzalez to incur higher costs for fuel, ice and food, while others like Jesus Morales have quit fishing entirely. Market impacts are already visible, with reduced supplies at Panama’s wholesale fish market and doubled prices for mahi-mahi and swordfish in Ecuador. The downturn also threatens ancillary workers, exemplified by fish-filleting laborer Francisco Orlando, who fears losing his livelihood.
Why it matters
The decline threatens food security and incomes for millions of coastal communities across Latin America.
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