Wednesday July 29, 2026
Inside Climate News —
The last El Niño was linked to severe droughts in Southern Africa, wildfires in Indonesia and global coral bleaching. Now, ocean advocates are warning that American fishermen could face significant financial losses as fish stocks struggle to survive in warmer waters.
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicting an 81 percent chance of another “very strong” El Niño this year, environmental groups are warning it could spell disaster for U.S. fisheries.
Following the 2015-2016 Super El Niño—which occurred alongside a major North Pacific marine heatwave called “the Blob”—over $140 million in government relief was paid to impacted fishers, processors and dealers. Now, some economists are calling on Congress to pre-emptively appropriate emergency funding before this year’s El Niño impacts U.S. waters this fall.
“El Niño’s fuse has been lit and we don’t have much time to prepare,” said Anthony Rogers, senior fellow of fisheries economics and climate at Ocean Conservancy, in a press release. The environmental nonprofit is warning the impact on key fish stocks and livelihoods along the West Coast will be worse this year than it was a decade ago.