The Humboldt-<i>El Niño</i> scenario: coastal benthic resources and anthropogenic influences, with particular reference to the 1982/83 ENSO

Abstract

AbstractThe coastal waters of Peru and Chile are among the most productive of the world's oceans. A striking source of interannual variability in this upwelling ecosystem, El Niño, results in large population and community variations. During El Niño the seasonal upwelling ceases and warm, clear oceanic waters occur close inshore, setting a unique oceanographic scenario in which the performance of populations and communities can be studied. While most attention has been focused on the pelagic components of such systems, numerous changes occur in inshore, benthic populations. Likewise, little attention has been paid to the critical role of humans as predators or active users of inshore, benthic resources. Humans as components of the ecosystem can impose significant alterations on population and community structure. In this paper the fishery statistics of three economically important inshore, benthic resources (the gastropod Concholepas concholepas, the cephalopod Octopus vulgaris and the kelp Lessonia nigrescens) are analysed in relation to the strong 1982/83 El Niño event. In particular, trends are described for landings in the far northern regions of Chile, where the marked effect of El Niño was concurrent with high levels of exploitation of C. concholepas and L. nigrescens.