From time to time, climatic phenomena leave Peruvian fishermen adrift. Juan Carlos Riveros, scientific director of Oceana Peru, delves into the case of La Niña – which brought us one of the coldest winters in recent times – and warns of intense warming of the sea off the coast of Peru.
Photo: Produce
Ernesto García is 56 years old and is a fisherman from Zorritos. Since he began to go to sea almost 25 years ago, his father – from whom he inherited wisdom, a boat and a trade – taught him a lesson that still worries him and that he remembers every year: “Here at sea, son, our work is we owe it largely to the moods of the weather. If the weather wants, we will have good fishing. It doesn't depend on us, you have to learn that”.That day they returned the boat empty, with just enough they were able to go fishing. It was early 1998 and the El Niño Phenomenon began to throw its tantrums in the sea. Ernesto does not forget that year."1998 was a catastrophe."
The feminine version of El Niño is La Niña: a climatic event that occurs in the tropical Pacific, characterized by colder than normal temperatures at sea. This phenomenon has a significant impact on weather patterns around the world and can lead to droughts, floods, and other natural disasters.
Image: ICRA.org
Juan Carlos Riveros, scientific director of Oceana Peru, explains that although La Niña affects artisanal fishing, from which more than 200,000 people live in the country, it does not do so as much as the industrial one. During this phenomenon, the catch of anchovy, a key resource for Peruvian industrial fishing, decreases significantly. "As the sea cools," explains the Oceana Peru scientist, "certain cold-water species that were previously concentrated in predictable places disperse and it is necessary for boats to make longer trips to capture them."
La Niña, which has a 75% probability of persisting until February 2023 according to the most recent data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), leaves us with memories of one of the coldest winters in the last 70 years in the Peru.
Juan Carlos Riveros mentions, however, that La Niña has been kind to artisanal and industrial fishing, since, as the water is colder, the anchovy does not disappear, but it does disperse. However, this situation has generated problems with discrimination between adult and juvenile fish, which puts the sustainability of fishing in the country at risk. In addition, Riveros underlines the lack of reliable technology in the country to deal with this type of phenomenon that always ends up affecting fishing.
Riveros explains that La Niña is the consequence of cycles in the planet's energy balance, and that after the cooling that has meant one of the coldest winters in Peru in the last 60 years, a period of intense warming is expected from 2024. This process will have serious consequences, especially in issues such as landslides and infrastructure, as well as in fishing, where the scarcity of main species that sustain the industrial fishery and the disappearance of some species are expected.
“The approaching El Niño will be like the one in 1998, but even stronger considering that for the last 25 years the planet has continued to warm more.” To this warning, it is important to add the reminder that, according to information from the Ministry of the Environment, "El Niño of 1997-1998 caused damages estimated at US$3.5 billion, and the losses were equivalent to 6.2% of the annual GDP of 1998."
Spatial distribution of anchovies according to levels of ecointegration for the summer and spring cruises of 2020. The adult distribution (mode: > 12 cm), the juvenile distribution (mode: < 12 cm) and the distribution are indicated for each cruise total. Fountain Castle, Cornejo, The Cross, Grades, Pictures et al.
At Oceana, we believe that it is essential that the authorities and society as a whole take measures to face these challenges, including support for scientific research and the development of reliable technology to identify and monitor these phenomena. The sustainability of fishing and the protection of the environment are important issues not only for Peru, but for the entire world.
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