El Nino and its effects on the fishing industry

Introduction

There are numerous natural events that take place around the world in predictable frequency. One of these events is El Nino. The event is of significant relevance because it has multilateral implications that merit highlighting and consideration. Most of the implications that the event has are limited to regions that lie along shore lines, however, the fact that El Nino also influences the climate on a larger scale makes it necessary to acquire a thorough understanding of El Nino and its implications. One of the key ways through which El Nino influences the planet is through its economic implications; and a fundamental element of this influence is the impact that comes through the fishing industry. The fishing industry is almost always influenced every time El Nino takes place. The impact of El Nino on the fishing industry is of critical relevance because most regions that fall along the shore line tend to rely extensively on the fishing industry for the generation of their revenues. As a result, it is important to acquire an understanding of the manner in which El Nino has an implication on the fishing industry.

This paper will attempt to present a detailed discussion on the manner in which El Nino impacts the fishing industry. In order to do so, the paper will begin by providing a concise and comprehensive introduction to El Nino, followed by a detailed discussion in which the paper seek to make use of real world examples of cases in which fishing industries were influenced as a result of the changes brought about by El Nino. The discussion will also constitute an elaboration of the steady manner in which El Nino has influenced the fishing industry with the passage of time. The discussion will come to a conclusion by shedding light on the measures that have been taken recently in order to counter the impacts of El Nino.

Discussion & Analyses

There was a strong La Niña episode during 1988-1989. La Niña also formed in 1995, from 1998-2000, and a minor one from 2000-2001. Recently, an occurrence of El Niño started in September 2006 and lasted until early 2007. From June 2007 on, data indicated a moderate La Niña event, which strengthened in early 2008 and weakened by early 2009; the 2007-2008 La Niña event was the strongest since the 1988-1989 event. The strength of the La Niña made the 2008 hurricane season one of the most active since 1944; there were 16 named storms of at least 39 mph (63 km/h), eight of which became 74 mph (119 km/h) or greater hurricanes. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, El Niño conditions were in place in the equatorial Pacific Ocean starting June 2009, peaking in January-February. Positive SST anomalies (El Niño) lasted until May 2010. Since then, Sea surface temperature anomalies have been negative (La Niña) and expected to stay negative for the next northern winter.

The ability to anticipate how climate will change from one year to ...