Unusual occurrences of fishes in the Southern California Current System during the warm water period of 2014–2018. (5th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Walker, H.J.; Hastings, Philip A.; Hyde, John R.; Lea, Robert N.; Snodgrass, Owyn E.; Bellquist, Lyall F.
• Is Part Of: Estuarine, coastal and shelf science. Volume 236(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05-05
• Subjects: Estuarine oceanography -- Periodicals; Coasts -- Periodicals; Estuarine biology -- Periodicals; Seashore biology -- Periodicals; Coasts; Estuarine biology; Estuarine oceanography; Seashore biology; Periodicals; 551.461805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106634
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0272-7714

Abstract

Abstract: An unusually long period of warm-water temperatures occurred off southern California (USA) in 2014–2018, and the highest sea-surface temperature ever recorded in a 103-year span of continuous data collection occurred in August 2018. Poleward distributional shifts in the geographic range of hundreds of marine organisms worldwide have been documented during or just after this and similar anomalously warm periods. We report on the unusual occurrences of 36 fish species (most initially reported by citizen scientists) recorded from the Southern California Current System (SCCS) during this recent period. In combination with previous literature, a remarkable 14 species are reported in the SCCS for the first time. The number of species and families represented is comparable to the number recorded during the 1997–1998 El Niño, widely regarded as the most impactful warming event for this area in the past century. Graphical abstract: As the oceans warm and extreme warm-water events occur more frequently, tropical shorefishes and other neretic fishes will appear more often and possibly become residents in (what once were) temperate areas. Image 1 Highlights: The period of 2014–2018 constitutes one of the longest and most intensive warm periods of the past century in the SCCS. Unusual occurrences of 36 fish species were recorded during this period in the SCCS. Citizen scientists played a crucial role in this research, reporting all but three of these species.