Southern Cal. anglers are catching unusually large & rare fish

Southern California anglers are seeing an unusual number of warm-water fish as rising ocean temperatures linked to El Niño and marine heatwaves bring species typically found farther south into local waters.Fishermen working in Marina del Rey and Santa Monica are catching fish species, in larger sizes, that are rarely seen in the area. Tony Villanueva, a boat captain who has been operating out of the area for years, describes the haul as unprecedented.“Biggest yellowtail I've ever seen up here,” Villanueva told ABC 7.Another captain, Alex Garcia, also said that anglers have been getting unusually large catches. “We've been catching a bunch of big bonito,” Garcia said.These species of fish are often seen in waters off Mexico, but now they are appearing along the Southern California coast.“People go on overnight trips and pay big money to go catch the fish that we're catching right here, right in our backyard,” Garcia added.Ocean temperatures off Southern California have risen well above normal due to a marine heatwave overlapping with El Niño conditions. Dr Julia Coates, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the broadcaster that warmer o...