Post by melody on Sept 15, 2013 15:27:44 GMT -5
PENNFUTURE DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON STATE FISH
By Matt Hess, PA Legislative Services
9/5/13
PennFuture held a conference call this morning to discuss a new report, Swimming Upstream: Freshwater Fish in a Warming World, from the National Wildlife Federation that highlights the effects of climate change on Pennsylvania’s state fish, the brook trout. Dr. Douglas Inkley, Senior Scientist for National Wildlife Federation, discussed the findings in the study. “The problem that we are facing here is that climate change can affect our fisheries in a number of different ways,” he stated. “Of course the most obvious to all of us is warming; the warming affect that is already taking place and will continue to place on our rivers and streams. What this means is that, especially for cold water species, there will be loss of habitat. The second concern is that there are already existing stressors on our steams: habitat loss, polluted water, invasive species, and disease. In fact, 37 percent of all of our fresh water animals across the country are already considered at risk. That is a much higher percentage than the terrestrial animals and the reason is that we have treated our nation’s waters like our sewers.”
Dr. Inkley noted that extreme weather events will increase with climate change and have a negative impact on aquatic life and cited Lake Erie as an example. “Fish may not be able to have the tolerances to survive this as they have in the past when the events were more within the normal parameters,” he stated. “With the extreme events, it’s causing much more runoff of the fertilizers in the agricultural areas. This is putting a huge surge of these nutrients into Lake Erie. Once again, the algae are growing and we are having hypoxia and we are having the problem all over again.”
Dr. Inkley opined that there can be a solution to climate change. “We need to get the EPA to use its authority to regulate the carbon admissions from our new and existing power plants by 2016,” he stated. “At the same time if we put more emphasis on developing alternative energy sources, we can reduce our carbon admissions. Those alternative sources can be wind turbines, solar power, and sustainable bioenergy. We need to safeguard our fish from climate change. We need to preserve and restore our habitats. We need to restore and protect as much area as we can to help these species withstand the pressure of climate change.”
Dr. Inkley said the public wants action on the issue of climate change. “In the 2012 post election Zogby poll they determined that three times as many voters say the government is doing too little to protect America’s air, water, and wildlife resources than those that think that we aren’t,” he stated. “Sixty-five percent say elected officials should take steps now to reduce the impact of climate change on future generations.”
Steve Sywensky, Owner of Fly Fishers Paradise, discussed the importance of recreation and fishing to Pennsylvania’s economy. “According to figures from Penn State University: $1.3 billion per year are spent on fishing in the state of Pennsylvania,” he stated. “$9.5 billion a year is the value of the NFL according to ESPN. Literally, sport fishing in Pennsylvania alone is about ten percent of what the National Football League does in a year. Fishing is a very significant part of Pennsylvania’s economy. Global warming, climate change, all these impacts are raising water temperatures, changing flows, catastrophic droughts and floods are all having negative impact on fishing. It is not just something people enjoy doing, it is something people spend money doing.”
Ken Undercoffer, Past President of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, discussed the impact of climate change on brook trout. “Brook trout need cold water,” he stated. “They are most comfortable at about 59 degrees. At 65 degrees they start to get uncomfortable and start to move and find cold water. At 70 degrees they quit feeding and go into survival mode. By the time its gets to 78 degrees they die.”
Undercoffer said one-third of the brook trout population has been lost in Pennsylvania due to a number of factors. “With global climate change and the subsequent warming that it promises to bring to us, this is going to reduce their habitat even more,” he stated. “We are going to lose a lot of brook trout in the 21st century if we don’t do something and do it now.”
Ed Perry, Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, said climate change poses a danger to Pennsylvania fisheries and discussed the smallmouth bass fishery in the Susquehanna River. “Since 2005 there have been repeat kills of smallmouth bass to the point where the smallmouth fishery in the 100 miles of the middle Susquehanna River has collapsed,” he stated. “In 2005 my two sons and I experienced what would be the first of what was going to be nearly an annual kill of smallmouth. 2005 was the hottest year on record and six miles upstream from Harrisburg standing waist deep in the channel I got a water temperature of 91 degrees. That weekend we saw hundreds and hundreds of bass floating downstream, killed we later learned by a common soil and water bacteria. We didn’t know it at the time but we what we were witnessing was nearly the annual kill of smallmouths.
Perry argued that the fish kills could be the new normal as a result of climate change and called for action to be taken on the issue. “We have a solution to this right now,” he stated. “We need to begin getting off fossil fuels and into renewable energy. The president’s Environmental Protection Agency is doing all it can to reduce carbon pollution by developing new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, new rules for power plants and existing power plants. All of this is designed to reduce carbon pollution.”
The participants then responded to questions from the media.
There was a climate change study done in Virginia that showed that all of its brook trout in that state could be lost by midcentury. Is the prospect as dire in Pennsylvania?
Perry responded “I have not seen a climate model similar to Virginia’s but I do know the Environmental Protection Agency forecasts that we are likely to lose most of brook trout habitat in the northeast part of our country all the way up to New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania.” Dr. Inkley noted “in addition to the projection for them to be extricated from Virginia all together, brook trout in Virginia have already lost 35 percent of their habitat in Virginia.”
What percentage of fresh water animals are currently at risk?
Dr. Inkley responded, “37 percent of all fresh water animals are at risk at the present time and that’s due to the historic pressures we have put on them. Now climate change is going to be a major factor in the future. This is likely to go on.”
By Matt Hess, PA Legislative Services
9/5/13
PennFuture held a conference call this morning to discuss a new report, Swimming Upstream: Freshwater Fish in a Warming World, from the National Wildlife Federation that highlights the effects of climate change on Pennsylvania’s state fish, the brook trout. Dr. Douglas Inkley, Senior Scientist for National Wildlife Federation, discussed the findings in the study. “The problem that we are facing here is that climate change can affect our fisheries in a number of different ways,” he stated. “Of course the most obvious to all of us is warming; the warming affect that is already taking place and will continue to place on our rivers and streams. What this means is that, especially for cold water species, there will be loss of habitat. The second concern is that there are already existing stressors on our steams: habitat loss, polluted water, invasive species, and disease. In fact, 37 percent of all of our fresh water animals across the country are already considered at risk. That is a much higher percentage than the terrestrial animals and the reason is that we have treated our nation’s waters like our sewers.”
Dr. Inkley noted that extreme weather events will increase with climate change and have a negative impact on aquatic life and cited Lake Erie as an example. “Fish may not be able to have the tolerances to survive this as they have in the past when the events were more within the normal parameters,” he stated. “With the extreme events, it’s causing much more runoff of the fertilizers in the agricultural areas. This is putting a huge surge of these nutrients into Lake Erie. Once again, the algae are growing and we are having hypoxia and we are having the problem all over again.”
Dr. Inkley opined that there can be a solution to climate change. “We need to get the EPA to use its authority to regulate the carbon admissions from our new and existing power plants by 2016,” he stated. “At the same time if we put more emphasis on developing alternative energy sources, we can reduce our carbon admissions. Those alternative sources can be wind turbines, solar power, and sustainable bioenergy. We need to safeguard our fish from climate change. We need to preserve and restore our habitats. We need to restore and protect as much area as we can to help these species withstand the pressure of climate change.”
Dr. Inkley said the public wants action on the issue of climate change. “In the 2012 post election Zogby poll they determined that three times as many voters say the government is doing too little to protect America’s air, water, and wildlife resources than those that think that we aren’t,” he stated. “Sixty-five percent say elected officials should take steps now to reduce the impact of climate change on future generations.”
Steve Sywensky, Owner of Fly Fishers Paradise, discussed the importance of recreation and fishing to Pennsylvania’s economy. “According to figures from Penn State University: $1.3 billion per year are spent on fishing in the state of Pennsylvania,” he stated. “$9.5 billion a year is the value of the NFL according to ESPN. Literally, sport fishing in Pennsylvania alone is about ten percent of what the National Football League does in a year. Fishing is a very significant part of Pennsylvania’s economy. Global warming, climate change, all these impacts are raising water temperatures, changing flows, catastrophic droughts and floods are all having negative impact on fishing. It is not just something people enjoy doing, it is something people spend money doing.”
Ken Undercoffer, Past President of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, discussed the impact of climate change on brook trout. “Brook trout need cold water,” he stated. “They are most comfortable at about 59 degrees. At 65 degrees they start to get uncomfortable and start to move and find cold water. At 70 degrees they quit feeding and go into survival mode. By the time its gets to 78 degrees they die.”
Undercoffer said one-third of the brook trout population has been lost in Pennsylvania due to a number of factors. “With global climate change and the subsequent warming that it promises to bring to us, this is going to reduce their habitat even more,” he stated. “We are going to lose a lot of brook trout in the 21st century if we don’t do something and do it now.”
Ed Perry, Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, said climate change poses a danger to Pennsylvania fisheries and discussed the smallmouth bass fishery in the Susquehanna River. “Since 2005 there have been repeat kills of smallmouth bass to the point where the smallmouth fishery in the 100 miles of the middle Susquehanna River has collapsed,” he stated. “In 2005 my two sons and I experienced what would be the first of what was going to be nearly an annual kill of smallmouth. 2005 was the hottest year on record and six miles upstream from Harrisburg standing waist deep in the channel I got a water temperature of 91 degrees. That weekend we saw hundreds and hundreds of bass floating downstream, killed we later learned by a common soil and water bacteria. We didn’t know it at the time but we what we were witnessing was nearly the annual kill of smallmouths.
Perry argued that the fish kills could be the new normal as a result of climate change and called for action to be taken on the issue. “We have a solution to this right now,” he stated. “We need to begin getting off fossil fuels and into renewable energy. The president’s Environmental Protection Agency is doing all it can to reduce carbon pollution by developing new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, new rules for power plants and existing power plants. All of this is designed to reduce carbon pollution.”
The participants then responded to questions from the media.
There was a climate change study done in Virginia that showed that all of its brook trout in that state could be lost by midcentury. Is the prospect as dire in Pennsylvania?
Perry responded “I have not seen a climate model similar to Virginia’s but I do know the Environmental Protection Agency forecasts that we are likely to lose most of brook trout habitat in the northeast part of our country all the way up to New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania.” Dr. Inkley noted “in addition to the projection for them to be extricated from Virginia all together, brook trout in Virginia have already lost 35 percent of their habitat in Virginia.”
What percentage of fresh water animals are currently at risk?
Dr. Inkley responded, “37 percent of all fresh water animals are at risk at the present time and that’s due to the historic pressures we have put on them. Now climate change is going to be a major factor in the future. This is likely to go on.”
