 It is these episodic but frequent bursts of productivity by phytoplankton that make the BCLME a region of sustained high productivity all year round.The high productivity is, however, in contrast to the relatively low biodiversity of the BCLME.Low biodiversity has been attributed to the extremely variable nature of the marine environment at a range of temporal and spatial scales, which favours generalists over specialists

The Benguela is particularly productive in terms of fisheries resources – especially small pelagic fish – but top predators such as seabirds and marine mammals are also abundant.