Signals from the sea: why sardines, jellyfish are washing ashore
Scientists have identified that marine heatwaves, El Nino, and changing ocean currents are causing Indian oil sardines to wash ashore in large numbers. These environmental disruptions are negatively impacting local fishing communities along India's west coast.
Why it matters
The phenomenon signals broader ecological instability in the Indian Ocean, threatening both marine biodiversity and local food security.
The Indian oil sardine has long sustained the livelihoods of coastal communities along the west coast. Thriving in the nutrient-rich waters driven by seasonal upwelling, these small but economically vital fish are now behaving strangely, washing ashore in large numbers along the coasts of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. The fishermen community reports poor catches in the days following such strandings, signalling deeper disruptions in the marine ecosystem. Scientists at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) here in Hyderabad, have now pieced together the reason behind this. Drawing on satellite data and ocean models, they have identified a web of interacting forces: marine heatwaves, coastal upwelling, ocean currents, tidal forcing and extreme weather events.
The article relies on scientific data and oceanographic models to explain an environmental event.
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