Americans spend nearly $100 billion annually on fishing, a beloved pastime that also drives local economies and supports thousands of jobs across the country. But the impacts of climate change are increasingly threatening this cornerstone of American outdoor recreation.
Recent studies show that 87% of rivers examined in the U.S. and Europe are experiencing rising temperatures, while 70% are seeing a loss in dissolved oxygen—conditions that are particularly harmful to sensitive fish species like trout.
“What climate change does is it’s starving the oxygen out of the water. It’s raising the water temperature and it’s killing off trout,” said Brian Sheppard, a seasoned guide on the historic Beaver Kill River in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Once considered a prime summer destination for fly fishing, the river’s warming conditions have made it difficult for Sheppard to continue his work throughout the season.
“This is the home of American fly fishing,” Sheppard noted. “It’s pretty cool. It’s hallowed ground.” But the season has shortened significantly. Where he once guided clients throughout the summer, now water temperatures exceed safe fishing levels for up to three months. Catching and releasing trout in these warmer waters often results in immediate death for the fish.
The fly fishing industry in the U.S. is valued at approximately $750 million, and regions like the Catskills rely heavily on fishing tourism. Jeff Skelding, executive director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River, said the declining fish population poses a serious threat to the local economy.
“If you go to the museums around here, you’ll see pictures of people catching hundreds and hundreds of brook trout out of these streams,” Skelding said. “That has changed. You’re not going to do that anymore.”
Skelding’s nonprofit is working to counteract these changes by restoring natural river flows. This includes removing obsolete dams and reinforcing riverbanks to prevent sediment buildup, which can further degrade habitat quality. Faster-moving rivers stay cooler, making them more hospitable to fish even as air temperatures rise.
“The impacts of climate change, erosion, sedimentation, development threats … the problems that these rivers are experiencing are not very different than we see in many, many other parts of the country,” Skelding explained.
For guides like Sheppard, the effort to protect these rivers is personal. As his livelihood becomes more uncertain with each passing summer, he’s focused on helping others understand the value of these waters—both economically and emotionally.
“It’s actually about introducing people to a way that their life can improve,” Sheppard said. “And we try to expose them to the magic of this place so that they’ll save it.”
Image/Source: CBSNews
