El Niño Brings Tropical Marine Life to California

An unusually strong El Niño, following a marine heat wave, is pushing warm tropical water north and bringing rare species to California, including whale sharks, hammerheads, manta rays, a venomous sea snake and the state’s first recorded longfin bigeye. Olive ridley sea turtles also nested on a California beach for the first time on record; their eggs were moved to an incubator with help from the Aquarium of the Pacific and partner agencies. Divers have reported other tropical visitors, including a long-spine porcupinefish near Catalina Island. The influx has benefited fishing businesses: one operator reported 5,000 yellowfin tuna caught this year, compared with two the previous year. But the conditions have coincided with storms, destructive waves, coastal erosion and threatened beachfront homes, while experts warn that warming waters could harm cold-water kelp forests. El Niño occurs naturally and is not caused by climate change, though warmer oceans may amplify its effects; experts expect conditions to move back toward normal after it passes.