Thursday October 1, 2026
ABC7 —
Warmer ocean temperatures associated with El Niño are bringing unusual numbers of fish species into Bay Area waters, according to fishermen and marine scientists who say they are seeing large concentrations of bonito and Pacific bluefin tuna in areas where they are not commonly found.
Commercial fisherman and charter boat operator Matt Juanes said the recent fishing season has produced catches that are uncommon for Northern California waters.
Juanes operates charter trips and also fishes commercially for crab and salmon aboard his vessel, the Plumeria. Recently, he and other anglers have encountered large numbers of bonito.
“It’s pretty rare. Ten years, 12 years, I think is the last time that we’ve seen them out here,” Juanes said.
Luiz Rocha of the California Academy of Sciences said bonito are typically found farther south.
“Bonito is a subtropical species, so it’s normally in the LA to Santa Barbara area and now it’s coming up here, so that’s very unusual,” Rocha said.
Dustin Barbane, owner of D&D Fishing Co., said the number of bonito being caught has been remarkable.