Climate Change Effect on Peruvian Anchovy Industry

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Climate change impacts on Peruvian’s Anchovy Industry Chatrine Tandil 20th November 2012 Earth and Ocean Science 314 Long assignment Figure 1 Note, Adapted from “Upwelling,” 2010, http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gl)/guides/mtr/eln/upw.rxml. Copyright 2010 by urbana-champaign INTRODUCTION In 2010, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations verified Peru as the second largest fishing industry in the world based on 7.4 million tones fish catch annually. Due to its strategic position, upwelling process has occurred in Peru’s ocean. This process, which happens due to extensive wind system and the Coriolis Effect, is the main reason ocean in Peru provides fishermen with higher successful rate in fishing. As illustrated by figure 1, the trade wind from the Southeast that is parallel to the coast pushes warm surface water away from the coast and being replaced by deep water, this process is known as upwelling. The deep water is rich in nutrients which support a phytoplankton bloom. Moreover, according to Dr. David Eggleston, a faculty advisor in department marine, earth, and atmospheric science, Anchovy eats phytoplankton as a result it would increase anchovy's capacity during upwelling. Furthermore, the amount of nutrients at the coast depends on El Niño and La Niña. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that Peruvian fishermen realize they had higher catches during La Niña conditions compared to El Niño. El Niño, was originally used by the Peruvian fishermen, means the sea water becomes warmer before Christmas and causes the fishing outcome to be poorer than normal. In contradiction, La Niña occurs when the sea water turns colder and improved the fishing outcome. These phenomena teach Peruvian fishermen that the

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