Skip to main content
  1. ScienceBase Catalog
  2. National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers
  3. Northwest CASC
  4. FY 2018 Projects
  5. Predicting Climate-Induced Expansions of Invasive Fish in the Pacific Northwest: Implications for Climate Adaptation of Native Salmon and Trout

Predicting Climate-Induced Expansions of Invasive Fish in the Pacific Northwest: Implications for Climate Adaptation of Native Salmon and Trout

Predicting Climate-Induced Expansions of Invasive Fish in the Pacific Northwest: Implications for Climate Adaptation of Native Salmonids
Principal Investigator
Clint Muhlfeld

Dates

Start Date
2018-07-13
End Date
2020-06-30
Release Date
2018

Summary

The headwaters of the Columbia River Basin in the Northern Rocky Mountains region is widely recognized as a stronghold for native fish, containing some of the last remaining connected cold-water habitats for species such as the threatened bull trout and native westslope cutthroat trout. However, as temperatures rise, non-native invasive fish species could be poised to prosper in the region as conditions start to favor warm-water species over those that require cooler waters to thrive. The spread of invasive fish species has the potential to devastate native fish populations, stream habitats, and the local cultures and economies that depend on healthy aquatic ecosystems – including the region’s multi-billion dollar outdoor recreation [...]

Child Items (3)

Contacts

Principal Investigator :
Clint Muhlfeld, Ryan Kovach
Funding Agency :
Northwest CASC
Co-Investigator :
Robert K Al-Chokhachy, Adam J Sepulveda
Cooperator/Partner :
Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, National Park Service, US Forest Service, Benjamin Letcher, Jeff Walker
CMS Group :
Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC) Program

Attached Files

Click on title to download individual files attached to this item.

Columbia_River_Gorge_Sara_marriott.jpg
“Columbia River Gorge, Sara Marriott - Credit” 		thumbnail 59.54 KB image/jpeg

Purpose

Climate-induced expansions of invasive fish species represent critical threats to the conservation of various native fish species in the Pacific Northwest, and more broadly, to those cultures and economies that depend on cold-water fish species, especially salmon and trout. Indeed, invasive species directly threaten economies in this region, including a growing outdoor recreation economy that generates billions of dollars for local communities. Despite the major threat of climate-induced invasive species expansions in this region, our understanding of how climate change will enable the future expansion of invasive species is extremely limited, thereby restricting proactive natural resource management. The goal of this project is to use existing data from multiple natural resource agencies to predict where five problematic invasive fish species – brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, and northern pike – will likely proliferate under future climate change and where they may impact native salmonids (trout and salmon) populations. Further, we will examine how various management actions, including habitat restoration and invasive species suppression, may influence future invasive fish expansions. Results from these analyses will be made publically available in an intuitive, interactive, and powerful web-based data visualization tool. This project will provide critically needed information that will allow fisheries managers and conservationists to better plan for, prioritize, and mitigate the threat of invasive species expansions resulting from climate change and other human stressors.

Project Extension

parts
typeTechnical Summary
valueProject Summary: The goal of this project is to predict how climate change will affect the spread of invasive fish in the Pacific Northwest and use this information to develop an interactive data visualization tool for managers to identify at-risk native fish populations. Climate-induced expansions of invasive fish pose serious threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Pacific Northwest, especially cold-water fish and the associated economies that are dependent on trout and salmon. However, quantitative predictions of aquatic invasive species expansions under climate change are rare for the Pacific Northwest. This uncertainty provides a significant challenge to managers and decision makers working to conserve and restore at-risk fish species, and greatly hampers the strategic development of a burgeoning outdoor economy. As such, there is a critical need for decision-making tools that can help managers plan for and mitigate the future expansion of problematic invasive fish. This project will provide managers and decision makers with accessible science on climate change impacts of invasive species and identify climate adaptation actions for conservation and recovery of native fish populations in the Pacific Northwest. The objectives are: (1) predict climate-induced expansions of invasive in the Pacific Northwest; (2) identify climate adaptation strategies to slow, stop, or prevent establishment of invasive species and inform prioritization; and (3) develop data visualization and decision support tools to inform climate adaptation and native species vulnerability. This effort will provide critically needed tools that will help managers anticipate the future ecological and associated social consequences of climate change and impacts on native fish populations and habitats in this region.
projectStatusCompleted

Budget Extension

annualBudgets
year2018
totalFunds98566.0
parts
typeAward Type
valueCOA
typeAward Number
valueC18000393
totalFunds98566.0

Columbia River Gorge, Sara Marriott - Credit
Columbia River Gorge, Sara Marriott - Credit

Map

Map Preview

Spatial Services

ScienceBase WMS

Communities

  • National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers
  • Northwest CASC

Tags

Provenance

Additional Information

Identifiers

Type Scheme Key
RegistrationUUID NCCWSC 2b009d0c-e7ef-4262-ba51-139bfad5c8b7
StampID NCCWSC NW18-MC1364

Item Actions

View Item as ...

JSON ATOM ISO XML

Save Item as ...

JSON FGDC MODS XML ISO XML

View Item...

Metrics