El Niño pushes fish into deeper waters, leaving Panama’s fishermen with half-empty nets, higher costs and declining catches

Fishermen in Panama are facing smaller catches and rising expenses as El Niño-related ocean warming drives several fish species into deeper waters, AFP reported. Along the eastern Pacific, fishing nets are coming back half empty, and affected communities are facing a crisis.

Small-scale fishermen in Panama are also contending with higher fuel and ice costs as they deal with the warmer waters and fish moving in search of cooler conditions.