"Near to the equator, fish arrive throughout the year to replenish adult populations. In contrast, during the El Nino event at Rangiroa, when temperatures climbed up to 3.5 degrees Celsius [6.3 degrees Fahrenheit] above the seasonal average, we found that the young fish virtually disappeared," said team member Steve Simpson of the University of Bristol in England.
"Analysis of satellite images around Rangiroa suggested that plankton, the food supply for many baby and adult reef fishes, declined dramatically during the warm waters of El Nino. As a consequence, adults struggled to produce offspring and young fishes were likely to starve when in open waters off reefs," Simpson added.
"Just one to two months after the onset of the warm conditions, the next generation of young fish stopped arriving so that adult stocks were no longer being re-supplied."
The findings, detailed in the journal Global Change Biology, are worrying, the study’s authors said, given that climate change is also increasing ocean water temperatures and could increase the frequency of El Nino events.
"Coral reef fisheries provide food and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people throughout the world and underpin a multibillion-dollar tourism industry,” Simpson said. “Our study shows that warmer waters may leave fish stocks on reefs in serious trouble, which will have far-reaching consequences for the people around the globe who are dependent upon them."
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