Trout Unlimited: Fish in a dangerous time
Andre Gagne : Dec 17.2007Trout Unlimited (TU) recently completed a comprehensive study assessing threats to the long-term well being of trout and salmon in the United States. Their findings are somewhat grim, but TU proposes a number of practical solutions to slow the impact of rising water temperatures and human encroachment upon trout and salmon habitat. Healing Troubled Waters: Preparing Trout and Salmon Habitat For A Changing Climate is download-able in pdf format from the TU website.
Clear and cold water… nothing does the trout crave more than this! This is becoming a rarer phenomenon, and fish populations are in varying states of risk across the United States. Water temperatures are rising, people are encroaching upon habitat with roads, culverts, stream barriers, industrial activity and farming. Lower portions of creeks and rivers are often quite polluted.
In order to secure affected fish populations - between 40% to 90% losses are predicted in the study for various watersheds across the US - TU has a four step strategy for fish preservation: 1. Protect, 2. Reconnect, 3. Restore and 4. Sustain.
TU recommends protecting remaining critical habitat watersheds. Headwaters provide clean and cold water that trickles down into water systems. Headwaters are the beginning of appealing lifestyles for trout and salmon.
Reconnecting habitats that have been disrupted from human encroachment, either from damming, water diversion, or culverts is of absolute importance. A watershed that is severed by a dam prevents trout from accessing the right water at the right time.
Restore entire watersheds, not just a stream or a river. The broader the distribution of fish over a variety of habitats encourages their resilience in different conditions. Trout are likely to face greater variations in the years to come, as temperatures are expected to rise, and fresh water is likely to become increasingly rare.
Finally, it is imperative to reconnect Americans with lands and waters that have sustained them. City dwellers and drastic lifestyle changes in the last couple generations have disconnected the average urban person from nature, and how the natural environment maintains its balance. Sustaining in terms of fish populations is the other connotation to this…
Severe population depletion is likely if serious interventions are not taken, according to the study. Protecting watersheds from short-sighted polluting developments is one way to keep fins flapping. Another is to keep small creeks and rivers shaded, to keep temperatures cooler and more ideal. Stop diverting water away from key habitats. Build roads away from waterways. Monitor and evaluate conditions of waters under stress.
Read TU’s study for yourself, and apply their recommendations to a river near you.