In June 2026, El Niño weakened Pacific trade winds, shutting down nutrient-rich upwelling; satellites then watched phytoplankton decline, threatening anchovies and seabirds as the ocean food chain began to unravel

Pelicans wandering into Peruvian ports and even moving through urban streets are an unsettling sign of food becoming harder to find offshore. Beneath the surface, an even bigger change is taking place across the Pacific. El Niño returned in June 2026, and NASA satellites are already seeing its effects in the ocean. As the climate pattern strengthens, phytoplankton are declining in parts of the Pacific, raising concerns for the anchovies, seabirds and other marine life that depend on them, as per a report by The Pulse.

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