Gulf Of Fonseca

A severe drought in southern Honduras forced 214 shrimp farms to suspend operations, prompting the National Aquaculture Association to cut its 2026 production target from 159 million to 146 million pounds as high temperatures and prolonged low rainfall raised Gulf of Fonseca salinity levels.

Honduras's 50,279 hectares of mangroves, concentrated in the Gulf of Fonseca, store an average of 346.6 metric tons of carbon per hectare and support 75% of commercial fish species, but lost 1,224 hectares between 2000 and 2018 mainly to shrimp and salt farming.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said on social media that he would not initiate conflict with Honduras over the disputed Conejo Island, calling it absurd to fight a neighboring country over an uninhabited islet, while reaffirming military operations in the Gulf of Fonseca will continue to combat drug trafficking.

Heavy rains and storm surge from tropical depression Cristina have flooded homes and disrupted fishing in Marcovia, Choluteca, affecting at least 150 families and thousands of artisanal fishermen unable to work.

Over 40 years, the Gulf of Fonseca communities of Cedeño and La Puntilla have lost up to 100 meters of coastline to sea-level rise, destroying homes and businesses and driving residents—many of them young people—to migrate to the United States.