El Niño Events and Peruvian Fisheries: Multispecies Responses and Adaptive Management

The warm El Niño event alters the productivity, distribution, catchability, and management of Peruvian fishery resources. A systematic review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted, complemented by a descriptive synthesis of scientific publications and official documents covering the period 2015--2026. The results revealed heterogeneous ecological and fisheries responses to warm conditions. Peruvian anchoveta exhibited coastal concentration, deeper schooling distributions, and changes in size structure, whereas jumbo flying squid, jack mackerel, and Pacific bonito showed temporary availability to certain fishing fleets. Fishery landings simultaneously reflected environmental variability, resource accessibility, fishing effort, and regulatory measures; therefore, they cannot be considered direct estimates of abundance. Strengthening adaptive, climate-responsive, and multispecies fisheries management is recommended through integrated hydroacoustic and oceanographic monitoring, dynamic spatial closures, and differentiated forecasting for coastal and offshore environments to support timely and evidence-based fisheries management decisions. The 2026 El Niño event is considered an ongoing episode.