California Current 2024: El Niño, delayed upwelling produce mixed ecosystem and fishery outcomes

Mary (presenter, California Current IEA team) and Andy (presenter, California Current IEA team) presented the California Current Ecosystem Status Report for 2024 at a Pacific Fishery Management Council briefing, reporting a year of contrasting signals for ocean conditions, marine life and coastal communities.

The report found that a strong El Niño in winter–spring 2024 suppressed early-season upwelling but gave way to a rapid, strong spring upwelling that supported a diverse and relatively abundant forage community in many regions of the California Current. Mary said the report drew on “over 90 individuals from, over 23 institutions, contributing to this report.”

Why it matters: the mix of late-winter heat, spring productivity and recurring harmful algal blooms (HABs) produced both biological winners and losers and affected fisheries and coastal communities. The report links these ecological patterns to management outcomes including a second consecutive California salmon fishery closure in 2024 and spatial or gear restrictions in the Dungeness crab fishery to reduce whale entanglement risk.

Key findings

- Physical drivers: Andy summarized the year as an early, strong El Niño that “suppresses the early season upwelling,” followed by a rapid transition to strong upwelling in April that…