Fisheries in the glacial lakes region of the upper Midwest are culturally, economically, and recreationally beneficial. Walleye, for instance, represent an important subsistence food source for some Wisconsin tribal nations and are also popular among recreational anglers. However, predicted ecological changes to these aquatic communities, such as an increase in invasive fish species, a decrease in walleye and other native fishes, and worsening water quality due to increases in temperature and shifts in precipitation, has prompted concern among regional anglers who may abandon certain fisheries as these changes occur. Understanding how changes in climate may affect glacial lakes region fishes, and how fishery managers can develop strategies [...]
Summary
Fisheries in the glacial lakes region of the upper Midwest are culturally, economically, and recreationally beneficial. Walleye, for instance, represent an important subsistence food source for some Wisconsin tribal nations and are also popular among recreational anglers. However, predicted ecological changes to these aquatic communities, such as an increase in invasive fish species, a decrease in walleye and other native fishes, and worsening water quality due to increases in temperature and shifts in precipitation, has prompted concern among regional anglers who may abandon certain fisheries as these changes occur. Understanding how changes in climate may affect glacial lakes region fishes, and how fishery managers can develop strategies for adapting to these changes, is important to both recreational and tribal anglers.
The goal of this project is to identify how Wisconsin’s walleye populations might change in the future, and then use that information to estimate the cost of replacing lost walleye fisheries for recreational angling and tribal fishing. To do this, researchers will update current models that predict walleye recruitment, then engage state agency and tribal biologists to develop a range of potential adaptation scenarios. These scenarios will weigh the costs associated with retaining fisheries in the region and the costs or benefits to recreational and tribal anglers. Scenario planning workshops designed to help determine where and how to implement climate adaptation strategies will further engage regional stakeholders, such as the U.S. Forest Service, Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Indian Commission, and Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership. This project will result in a framework for resilient fisheries resources that integrates climate adaptation into management and identifies paths forward for managing walleye and other fishes in the upper Midwest under a changing climate.
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LakeMichigan_WI_JohnTracey_USGS.jpg “Lake Michigan, WI, John Tracey, USGS - Credit”
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Purpose
Recreational and tribal fisheries are popular in the upper Midwest, but there is concern that fish communities may change in the future, which may result in recreational and tribal fishers leaving the fishery. Understanding how climate change may affect walleye recruitment and how fishery managers can develop strategies for adapting to these changes is important to both recreational and tribal fishers. We will quantify the replacement cost of recreational and tribal angling in lakes in Wisconsin and identify approaches that help glacial lakes managers integrate climate adaptation into current fisheries management. This will be done by updating models that predicting walleye recruitment and presenting this information to agency and tribal biologists to develop multiple adaptation scenarios that weigh costs associated with retaining fisheries in these glacial lakes against the benefits or costs to anglers. Our approach will engage agency biologists in the glacial lakes region to identify management strategies that are available to them, determine to what extent these strategies can maintain fisheries important to their stakeholder group (e.g., walleye). The project will collectively provide various adaptation strategies coproduced with agency managers to better manage walleyes and other glacial lakes fishes under a changing climate.
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Technical Summary
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Recreational and tribal fisheries are very popular in the glacial lakes region of the US and Canada and provides a substantial economic and cultural benefit. However, there is concern that as fish communities may change in the future due to increases in temperature and shifts in precipitation, recreational and tribal fishers may leave the fishery because 1) they choose not to fish for the ‘new’ species that may establish in their region, 2) environmental conditions are not suitable (e.g., too warm to fish, declines in water quality), or 3) policy changes may increase costs (e.g., increased gas prices) and limit fishing opportunities. Specifically, understanding how climate change may affect walleye recruitment and subsequent management actions in these glacial lakes is important to both recreational and tribal fishers. This project will 1) quantify the replacement cost of recreational angling and tribal subsistence fisheries in the upper Midwest to provide a framework that could be scaled to a continental estimate and 2) identify strategies and develop approaches that help glacial lakes managers integrate climate adaptation into current fisheries management. We will develop updated walleye recruitment models to determine if current high value reservoir/lake fisheries are likely supported by connectivity to productive river systems and 2) to determine if river fisheries, and subsequently connected lake/reservoir fisheries, may also be lost as temperatures continue to increase. We will provide this information to stakeholders to develop multiple adaptation scenarios that weigh costs associated with retaining recreational and tribal fisheries (in the Ceded Territories of Wisconsin) against the overall benefits or costs to anglers. We will use scenario planning workshops with a broader range of management agencies (e.g., Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan DNRs, US Forest Service, Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Indian Commission, Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership) to determine where and how to implement climate change adaptation strategies in glacial lakes. Our approach will be to engage agency biologists in the glacial lakes region to identify management strategies that are available to them, determine to what extent these strategies can increase adaptive capacity or promote ecological resilience, and assess the feasibility and confidence associated with their success. This stakeholder engagement is a critical portion of this project as they are the users of the information, and are the local experts that can help identify real-world examples of adaptation strategies. Products will be at least one peer reviewed manuscript in a journal such as Global Change Biology or similar and Lake and Reservoir Management (as part of a special issue on glacial lakes). Members of the project teams will present results at multiple meetings held by professional organizations such as the American Fisheries Society, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership, and others. The project will collectively provide various adaptation strategies coproduced with agency managers to better manage walleye sand other glacial lakes fishes under a changing climate.