According to the fisheries sector, this climatic event lasted 34 months this season and they estimate that it will last until late March or early April when the El Niño phenomenon begins.
La Niña began in September 2021 and is considered a meteorological manifestation that lowers ocean temperatures and alters atmospheric systems.
The President of the CNP, Bruno Leone, confirmed that La Niña has had a major impact on the fisheries sector since the end of 2021, with a decrease in exports and an increase in production costs in the Andean country.
When the temperature drops between 1°C and 2°C – explained Leone – the tuna migrate because it is a fish from tropical waters.
The CNP figures show that in 2021 Ecuador exported 543,291 tons of fish, generating an income of about $1,795 million, while in 2022 only 482,484 tons were exported.
The main destination of Ecuadorian fisheries exports is the entire European Union (EU) with 39.84 percent of shipments, followed by Latin America, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Executive director of the South American nation’s Banana Marketing and Export Association, Richard Salazar, added that La Niña has also impacted agricultural production in Ecuador, as coastal droughts are among its impacts.
In this way, banana and plantain exports fell by 5.8 percent in volume and also by 6.3 percent in dollar value in 2022, according to the Central Bank of Ecuador.
npg/nta