Faycal Ounacer

Assessing the Impact of Coastal Upwelling on Fisheries: Insights from the California Current System

Lighting Talk, 2:30 - 2:55 PM

The EBUSs are among the most biologically productive ocean ecosystems in the world and provide more than 20% of the world catch of fish on <1% of the ocean surface. They include the California, Humboldt, Canary, and Benguela Current systems and provide critical ecosystem, economic, and recreational services for over 80 million people who either live along their coasts or near those coasts. This study deals with the analysis of relationships between the California Current System, coastal climatology, and fishing activity by adopting a climato-oceano-economic approach along the California coast. The study points out the phenomenon of upwelling within the California system, which have repercussions on peculiarities along the coast that impact marine resources and, hence, have implications for inhabitants of the coastal areas as well as for local economies. Data are from NOAA, chlorophyll, and sea surface temperature, while fisheries data were obtained from official reports. The analysis is then controlled using R and Python programming languages. In this work, one looks for evidence of relevance of the upwelling phenomenon for fisheries production but also forms strategies in the use of marine resources in a sustainable way.



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Frank Aragona headshot
Pronouns: he/him
Corvallis, OR, USA
Faycal Ounacer is a Fulbright scholar and PhD candidate jointly enrolled at Ibn Zohr University in Morocco and Oregon State University. He holds a master's degree in environmental management and sustainable development. His research focuses on coastal climatology and the impact of upwelling on fisheries along the Moroccan coast. Faycal has represented Morocco in international dialogues, including the COP27 in Cairo, passionate about climate action, and science education as a peer educator for IRENA.