Effects of Climate and Land Use Changes on Fish and Fish Habitat in Streams and Lakes: Special Emphasis on Strategies for Fisheries Management and Conservation

Wednesday, August 22, 2012: 8:00 AM-5:15 PM
Ballroom D (RiverCentre)
Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly challenged by threats including climate and land use changes.  Planning for and implementing strategies to cope with changes to freshwater ecosystems can be difficult for resource managers.  These changes are likely to affect aquatic systems by altering flow, temperature, and sediment regimes as well as concentrations of nutrients and toxins.  Habitats (reach/network scale) are not equally vulnerable to changing environmental conditions, and fish perceive these effects differently.  Effects of climate change on water temperature and flow regimes are expected to alter freshwater habitats in lakes and streams and lead to changes in fish abundance and distribution, with declines predicted for many temperature specialists, often native species.  Conversion of catchment land area to urban and agricultural uses has been directly linked with disruptions in stream integrity and loss of fish diversity across the United States.  In combination, changing climate and land use patterns pose particularly serious threats to aquatic systems.  This symposium will examine the potential effects of climate and land use change across multiple spatial scales in the conterminous United States. We invite contributions that: 1) demonstrate the transformation of aquatic habitats due to historical changes of climate and land use, or 2) incorporate downscaled Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models and projected land use models to identify how future climate and land use will affect fish distributions, fish behavior (spawning, foraging, interactions, etc.), and fish habitat in lakes and streams at various spatial scales.  Specifically, we will report on research based on approaches that can serve as a framework for future investigations to identify the large scale effects of changing patterns of climate and land use on fish and their habitats.  The results from this symposium will identify important habitats for conservation or restoration and especially potential management options for managing these changes in our aquatic landscape.
Organizers:
Damon Krueger , Yin-Phan Tsang and Dana M. Infante
Moderators:
Damon Krueger , Yin-Phan Tsang and Dana M. Infante
8:00 AM
Introductory remarks: Day 1


8:30 AM
Impacts of Climate Change on Aquatic Biodiversity in the United States
Michelle Staudinger, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and USGS National Climate Change & Wildlife Science Center

8:45 AM
A Framework of Ecological Classification That Demonstrates the Hydrological and Thermal Variance of Current Fish Fluvial Habitats Across the Conterminous United States
Yin-Phan Tsang, Michigan State University; Dana M. Infante, Michigan State University; Lizhu Wang, International Joint Commission; Damon Krueger, Michigan State University; Daniel Wieferich, Michigan State University

9:00 AM
Predicting Cold-Water Fish Habitat in Lakes of the Glacial Lakes Region Under Changing Land Use and Climate Regimes
William Herb, University of Minnesota; Lucinda Johnson, University of Minnesota; Peter Jacobson, Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources

9:15 AM
Modeling the Effects of Land Use and Climate Change on Lake Fishes in Michigan
Kevin Wehrly, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; James Breck, Institute for Fisheries Research; Zhenming Su, Institute for Fisheries Research; Lizhu Wang, Institute for Fisheries Research

9:30 AM
Potential Changes to Great Lakes Fish Assemblages in a Warming Climate
James E. McKenna Jr., US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center; Michael Slattery, US Geological Survey; Jana Stewart, USGS; Jeffrey S. Schaeffer, U.S. Geological Survey

9:45 AM
Wednesday AM Break


10:15 AM
Impacts of Land Development and Climate Change on Lake Superior's North Shore Trout Habitat
Lucinda Johnson, University of Minnesota; William Herb, University of Minnesota; Dan Breneman, University of Minnesota

10:30 AM
Linking Climate and Land Use Projections to Stream Habitat: Implications for Brook Trout in the Eastern U.S
Tyrell Deweber, Pennsylyvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University; Tyler Wagner, U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit

10:45 AM
Status, Distribution, and Threats of Midwest Brook Trout
Anna Varian, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Henry R. Quinlan, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Mark J. Brouder, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

11:00 AM
Effects of Climate-Driven Water Level Loss on Fish Habitat Availability, Predator-Prey Interactions, Population Dynamics, and Behavior in Two North Temperate Lake Basins
Jereme W. Gaeta, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Zach J. Lawson, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Greg G. Sass, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Stephen R. Carpenter, University of Wisconsin-Madison

11:15 AM
Application of a Versatile Aquatic Macrophyte Integrity Index for Minnesota Lakes
Paul Radomski, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Donna Perleberg, State of MN

11:30 AM
Assessment of Predicted Changes in Landuse and Climate on Fish Habitat Conditions in the Arid Southwest United States
Joanna Whittier, University of Missouri; Craig P. Paukert, USGS Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

11:45 AM
Changes in the Availability of Freshwater Along the South Carolina and Georgia Coast Due to Potential Climate Change Scenarios
Paul Conrads, USGS SC Water Science Center; Edwin Roehl Jr., Advanced Data Mining International

12:00 PM
Wednesday Lunch


1:15 PM
Effects of Land Use on Aquatic Resources in the Puget Lowlands of Western Washington
Hans B. Berge, King County; Scott A. Stolnack, King County - Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed; Dan Lantz, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks; Curtis DeGasperi, King County

1:30 PM
The Effect of Rain Induced Reductions in Dissolved Oxygen on Fishes in an Urban System
Greg Gaulke, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; David H. Wahl, Illinois Natural History Survey; Douglas Bradley, LimnoTech, Inc.; John Wolfe, LimnoTech, Inc.; Penelope Moskus, LimnoTech; Cory D. Suski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1:45 PM
Potential Effects of Climate Change on Growth, Prey Consumption, and Population Dynamics of Stream-Dwelling Smallmouth Bass in the Central U.S
Allison A. Pease, USGS, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Craig P. Paukert, USGS Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

2:30 PM
Impact of Climate Change on Lake Whitefish
Abigail J. Lynch, Michigan State University; William W. Taylor, Michigan State University; Mark Ebener, Inter-Tribal Fisheries and Assessment Program

2:45 PM
The Interactive Threats of Climate Change and Fragment Size to Native Cutthroat Trout Conservation
James J. Roberts, Colorado State University; Kurt Fausch, Colorado State University; Douglas P. Peterson, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Mevin B. Hooten, USGS / Colorado State University

3:00 PM
Wednesday PM Break


3:30 PM
Evaluating the Effects of Climate on the Distribution of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout: A Rangewide Analysis
Robert Al-Chokhachy, US Geological Survey; Steve Hostetler, US Geological Survey; Jay Alder, Oregon State University and USGS, NOROCK; Robert E. Gresswell, U.S. Geological Survey; Brad Shepard, Wildlife Conservation Society

3:45 PM
Using Spatially Explicit Models to Assess Potential Effects of Climate Warming on Native Salmonids in the Northern Rockies
Clint Muhlfeld, US Geological Survey; Leslie A. Jones, US Geological Survey; Robert Al-Chokhachy, US Geological Survey; Gordon Luikart, The University of Montana; Erin Landguth, University of Montana

4:00 PM
Calculating and Increasing Portfolio Diversity for Native Trout Conservation
Jack E. Williams, Trout Unlimited; Amy L. Haak, Trout Unlimited

4:30 PM
Concluding Remarks


5:00 PM
Poster P-15 Effects of Varying Local Winter Stream Patterns on the Condition of Coldwater Fishes, J. Haavisto and J. Leonard


5:00 PM
Poster P-16 Evaluating Historical Changes in Timing and Synchrony of Two Biologically-Relevant Annual Hydro-Climatic Events in Streams . I. Arismendi, M. Safeeq, S. Johnson, J. Dunham, and R. Haggerty


5:00 PM
Poster P-17 Age Structure and Growth Rates of Brown Trout in Southeast Minnesota Streams . A. Carlson, B. Vondracek, W. French, L. Ferrington Jr., and J. Perry


5:00 PM
Poster P-18 Urbanization Effects on Overwintering Brook and Brown Trout: Fish Condition and Movement . R. Guth and J. Leonard


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