Alberta's trout habitat shrinks as streams warm » Yale Climate Connection

Bull trout, Athabasca rainbow trout, and westslope cutthroat trout live in icy streams that flow down from the mountains of Alberta, Canada.

But as the climate warms, so do these streams, causing these fish to retreat to dwindling refuges in colder waters upstream.

Kissinger: “As they warm downstream, they force them further upstream into ever-decreasing available habitat.”

Ben Kissinger is a water and fish scientist in the fRI research group.

He said the problem has been exacerbated by the loss of many of the trees and plants along the river that once served to shade the water body from the hot sun.

All three trout populations also face other threats.

Kissinger: “If you have all the other threats on top of warming waters, like fishing pressure, fragmentation and habitat loss, it's going to be very difficult for these species to survive.”

So Kissinger is mapping water temperatures in Alberta streams to better understand how trout habitats are changing.

He said it's important to protect riverside vegetation and remaining cold water areas.

Kissinger: “As we move into a warming future, these may be important refuges for these cold-water species.”

Kissinger's research could therefore help these trout survive as the climate continues to warm.

Report source: Ethan Freedman/ChavoBart Digital Media