Recent research found 87% of rivers studied across the U.S. and Europe are warming, with 70% losing oxygen. Communities that depend on fishing tourism are feeling the impact.

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

Climate Crisis

Recent research indicates that a significant percentage of rivers studied across the United States and Europe are experiencing increases in temperature, with 87% warming and 70% losing oxygen. This environmental shift has begun to impact communities reliant on fishing tourism, such as those situated around the Beaverkill River in New York's Catskill Mountains. Here, the warming waters are threatening the local trout population, a key draw for the $1.2 billion US fly fishing industry.

Brian Shepherd, a guide on the Beaverkill River, notes that rising temperatures can be fatal to trout, especially as water temperatures remain high for extended periods. This trend has made fishing less sustainable, which in turn impacts tourism and local economies dependent on the sport. Jeff Skelding, executive director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River, highlights that fewer fish to catch has already hurt the local fishing economy.

Besides rising temperatures, rivers have also been affected by sediment buildup and dam construction, leading to reduced water flows and additional heating. Skelding's nonprofit is working to restore river flows in the hope of cooling the water and preserving the aquatic habitat. This restoration effort aims to support not only the fish population but also the broader array of recreational activities vital to the local communities' economies.



Warming rivers threatening the fishing tourism industry

This is the home of American fly fishing. This is ground zero right here. You're standing in it. Brian Shepherd is a guide on the historic Beaverkill River in New York's Catskill Mountains will 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, yeah, yeah, oh shoot. Oh, 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 and it's killing off trout. I don't know that I'll be doing this in 10 to 15 years from now. Shepherd is part of the $1.2 billion US fly fishing industry, but warming water means fewer fish during peak tourism season. You know when they hit that mid to high 60 range, it becomes kind of fatal to the trout if you catch him. Nowadays we're hitting that for two to three months out of the year. Yeah, it's a really beautiful place and a really interesting river. Jeff Skelding, executive director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River, says fewer fish to catch hurt the local fishing tourism 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. That has changed. You're not going to do that anymore. He says over generations, rivers here have lost flow because of sediment buildup and the construction of dams. That leads to stagnant water, which heats up in the sun, along with the fish in it. The problems that these rivers are experiencing are not very different than we see in many, many other parts of the country. To cool the river down, Skelding's nonprofit group is working to restore the flow, which will help more people which will help more than just the fish. All kinds of recreational activities increasingly are supporting the economies of these communities. Hey David, get that net. Get that net. This is a Brown Catskill Brown way to go. Ooh, hey look, he's feisty. Yeah, little guy, but he's not beautiful. Another magic moment on the Beaver Kill for Shepherd, something worth protecting as the changing climate changes his industry. David Schechter, CBS News in the Catskill Mountains.

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Climate Crisis