Conserving Cool- and Cold-Water Lake and Stream Fishes Through a Warmer 21st Century: Science, Management, and Policy Needs Part 1

Cool- and cold-water fishes and fisheries are likely to decline this century as global warming proceeds, but species extirpations and losses of popular fisheries will not be ubiquitous outcomes. Declines will vary spatially and be contingent on the local biophysical context, rates of change, adaptive capacity (both human and fish), ecosystem resilience, efficiency of conservation investments, and the strength of long-term institutional and public commitments. In order for fisheries management to adapt to climate change, a general set of complementary information is required that consists of five basic elements: 1) an understanding of species and community ecology as they relate to climatic factors (e.g., temperature regimes, flow regimes), 2) high-resolution, spatially explicit predictions of those climatic factors under different scenarios, 3) strategies for prioritizing conservation investments in order to maximize benefits under the most likely scenarios, 4) clear policies that implement prioritization schemes through funding and engagement of stakeholders, and 5) monitoring programs to validate and refine models, measure biological responses, and ensure returns on conservation investments. This symposium will highlight research, case histories, and management policies for lake and stream environments that address one or more of those elements. The objective is to describe the current state of knowledge and elucidate a framework for transparent, effective decision making and conservation successes through a century that will challenge many cool- and cold-water ecosystems.