According to a report by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries' Southwest and Northwest Fisheries Science Centers, the Pacific Ocean is experiencing warming waters in the West Coast due to large-scale patterns in the climate. This has led to less productive conditions which may affect various marine species.
The State of the California Current Report for 2015 examined biological, socio-economic and environmental indicators and found unusually high temperature in coastal air and waters, which are likely precursors to lower primary productivity in the waters of Washington, Oregon and California. Lower productivity means less food for marine life and the recent surge in sea lion pups washing ashore in California emaciated and the seabird die-off in Washington and Oregon could be early signs.
The report was produced as part of the agency's Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Program designed to track conditions across ecosystems in coastal areas. Data gathered then provide insight into human and environmental trends, guiding decisions for fisheries and other activities. There are seven ecosystems monitored under the program and the California Current is one of them.
"We're seeing some major environmental shifts taking place that could affect the ecosystem for years to come. We need to understand and consider their implications across the ecosystem, which includes communities and people," said John Stein, Northwest Fisheries Science Center director.
The California Current has been a highly productive ecosystem in recent years thanks to strong upwelling from deep waters coming from the north steeped in energy-rich copepods that promote high numbers in salmon and high stock of juvenile sanddabs, market squid and rockfish. Waters started warming in 2014 and have continued to do so, with warm areas growing and merging across the West Coast.
Warmer waters resulted into copepods with less energy, which have been associated with weak salmon returns and overall low productivity. The tropical El Niño declared recently may intensify warm conditions if it persists or grows stronger throughout the year.
A bit of an upside is that some marine species thrive in warmer conditions, like tuna and marlin. Unfortunately, more species decline when waters are warmer. Aside from warm waters, salmon also face threats from low snowpacks in the Northwest and shrinking streams and rivers brought about by the California drought. The effect of low productivity in West Coast waters on salmon should be felt in a few years when juvenile fish entering the ocean this year will be making their way back to streams and rivers as adults.
Photo: Rachel Kramer | Flickr
