El Niño impacts and policies for the fisheries sector

Abstract

The FAO Innovation for Blue Transformation Series introduces relevant policy initiatives, mechanisms, and tools available to promote innovation and technical solutions that can accelerate aquatic food system transformation. The series shares brief and practical knowledge needed for sustainable and resilient aquatic food systems that can nourish the world’s growing population, providing solutions to the challenges preventing aquatic food systems from delivering their full potential. This brochure describes the impacts of the natural climate phenomenon El Niño on the fisheries sector. It provides information on the changes in catches for various regions globally and includes specific impacts on the three subsectors: marine capture fisheries; aquaculture; and freshwater fisheries. It highlights the impacts of the past El Niño during 2023–2024. It includes four case studies on Peruvian anchoveta fishery, tuna fisheries in the Pacific, elkhorn seamoss aquaculture in the Philippines and coastal shrimp fisheries in Ecuador. Practical and achievable coping measures are also presented, as an El Niño event can often be predicted months ahead of the event, allowing for timely anticipatory actions, policies and emergency responses.