Warming waters from climate change are impacting the livelihood of river communities and the fishing industry. Recent research found 87% of rivers studied across the U.S. and Europe are warming, with 70% losing oxygen.

Catskill Mountains

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

The ongoing threat of climate change is posing significant challenges to the fishing industry, particularly in river communities across the United States and Europe. Recent studies reveal that 87% of rivers examined in these regions are experiencing rising temperatures, with 70% suffering from decreased oxygen levels. This phenomenon is particularly damaging to species like trout, which struggle to survive in warmer, oxygen-poor environments.

Brian Shepard, a fly fishing guide on New York's Beaverkill River, illustrates the personal impact of these environmental changes. Part of the $750 million U.S. fly fishing industry, Shepard notes that hotter waters are reducing the fishing season and potentially endangering trout populations. Traditionally, these waters supported vibrant fishing throughout the summer, but now the rising temperatures limit this to a few months each year. The elevated temperatures cause significant mortality in trout, diminishing the historical abundance one could find in these waters.

These changes also have economic repercussions on local tourism, as Jeff Skelding from Friends of the Upper Delaware River points out. His nonprofit is taking proactive measures to counteract some effects by working to boost river flow, which naturally helps cool the waters. By removing obsolete dams and stabilizing riverbanks to prevent sedimentation, they aim to preserve the fishing industry. Such efforts are vital as communities reliant on fishing and related recreational activities face the dual pressures of climate change and development.

The cultural and economic significance of fishing in these regions cannot be overstated. While enthusiasts and local residents cherish the rivers for fly fishing, they are increasingly aware of the need to protect these ecosystems from environmental decline. The industry remains a cornerstone of many local economies, and protecting aquatic life from climate-induced stressors is critical to its continued viability.



Climate change threatening fishing industry

This is the home of American fly fishing. This is ground zero right here. You're standing in it. It's pretty cool. It's hollow ground. Quite a treat. Yeah, you're hollow ground. Yeah, Brian Shepard is a guide on the historic Beaverkill River in New York's Catskill Mountains. We'll go ahead and step on in the water here. And he's teaching me to fish, if that's even possible. It's not really about the fish. It's actually about introducing people to a way that their life can improve. And we try to expose them to the magic of this place so that they'll save it. Oh, oh, oh, got something. Yep, yep. Oh, shoot. That was a fish. That was a fish. But rivers everywhere are in trouble. Recent research found 87% of rivers studied across the US and Europe are warming, with 70% losing oxygen. 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. I don't know that I'll be doing this in 10 to 15 years from now. Shepard is part of a $750 million US fly fishing industry. But he's finding it harder to make a living. While he once took clients out all summer, today the water temperature is frequently over the threshold for good fishing. Nowadays, we're hitting that for two to three months out of the year. In the middle of summer, you catch one of these fish and it'll kill them right away. 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. That has changed. You're not going to do that anymore. Jeff Skelding, executive director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River, says fewer fish to catch hurt the local fishing tourism economy. You've seen it driving around here. All kinds of recreational activities increasingly are supporting the economies of these communities. Rivers are cooler the faster they flow. Skelding's nonprofit is working to restore the flow of rivers by removing old dams and reinforcing banks to keep sediment from falling in. 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. There's this rhythm to fly fishing that is very. Here we go. Oh, he's got something. Hey, David, get that net. Get that net. This is a brown. Catskill brown, which is the hardest of the two species to catch. Way to go. Ooh, and look, he's feisty. A lot of oxygen in the water. Yeah. Another magic moment in the Catskills. For Shepard, it's something worth protecting as the climate continues to change his industry. Yeah. Little brown. Little guy, but he's nice. Beautiful.

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