Bernard Yin has been fly fishing for trout in California's mountain streams for decades. He was used to seeing change.
Yin: “You have dry years and you have wet years. … Over time, in recent years, it’s become clear that these fluctuations have been more dramatic.
As the climate warms, droughts are increasing. With less water, streams heat up and the oxygen in the water drops. This stresses cold water fish like trout. Already distressed fish may not recover if anglers catch and release them.
So Yin and his wife, Rebecca Ramirez, often wait until rain or melting snow cools the water before they go fishing.
Ramirez said it's hard to know a trout is struggling.
Ramirez: “It's tough. I think it's also a catalyst for us to get more involved in conservation-related things. Like, how can we help?
The couple volunteers as ambassadors for the nonprofit California Trout. They are helping the Watershed Conservation Authority monitor water temperatures in the San Gabriel watershed.
They hope the data will help people better understand what's happening to trout and inform decisions about how to protect them.
Report source: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media
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