Outdoor recreation has long been a big economic driver in the Northwoods, and fishing is a large part of that.
Lakes and rivers in the region are home to a wide range of fish species.
Wisconsin temperatures are about 2 to 3 degrees warmer now than in 1950.
The state is projected to warm an additional 2 to 8 degrees in the next 25 years.
As our climate changes, it’s expected that there will be changes to those fisheries.
Holly Embke is a research fish biologist with the USGS Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. She says we’re already experiencing some of those changes.
“Warm water fishes like bluegill and bass, some of our favorites here in the Midwest, we're starting to see increases in those fisheries. With climate change, we're really starting to see shifts in what our fish communities look like,” said Embke.
Cold water species like walleye have been struggling. A recent study found that shift in ice-off dates may pose a threat to walleye spawning.
Embke says fisheries may look different in the future, but it’s not all bad news. A lot of her focus is not only on what changes are happening, but also where certain populations and species are struggling and also doing well.
Then, it’s a matter of figuring out what people can do to help.
“Those actions may look more along the lines of habitat restoration, rather than fish stocking for certain populations, or moving to support other types of fisheries, like yellow perch, or sun fishes, like bluegill and bass, that are potentially going to do quite a bit better given climate change,” said Embke.
Embke will be talking about these challenges and the importance of inland fisheries at this month’s Science on Tap Minocqua.
“I hope that folks who are able to join for my talk come away with a better understanding of potential changes that may be happening to the fish communities that they love, and an understanding that it's not necessarily all doom and gloom associated with climate change, but things may look different than they do now or have looked in the past,” said Embke.
Science on Tap is Thursday, April 4. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at Rocky Reef Brewing Company in Woodruff.
