News
Montana’s resilient fishing economy tested by climate change
Published
2 years agoon
Posted By
AdminBy Helena Dore BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE
BOZEMAN – Montana’s fishing economy has proven resilient amid the impacts of drought, but a new study suggests that 35% of its cold water habitats could become unsuitable for trout by 2080, costing the state an estimated $192 million in annual revenue.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the University of Montana contributed to the new study titled “Socioeconomic resilience to climatic extremes in a freshwater fishery.” It ran in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.
“Trout fisheries have enormous cultural, economic and ecological importance in Montana and worldwide, yet even Montana’s resilient trout fisheries could be vulnerable to future climate change,” said Timothy Cline, a USGS scientist and the paper’s lead author, in a news release.
Cline and authors Clint Muhlfeld, Ryan Kovach, Robert Al-Chokhachy, David Schmetterling, Diane Whited and Abigail Lynch used Montana FWP’s recreation monitoring data to analyze how climate change impacted 3,100 miles of the state’s rivers between 1983 and 2017.
They found that the concentration of anglers doubled overall within that 34-year time period, and severe drought conditions, which drive stream flows down and water temperatures up, significantly impacted how that fishing pressure was distributed across the landscape.
When temperatures warmed and flows dropped on certain rivers, anglers flocked to other areas where waters were colder. These cold-water segments supported 10 times more anglers than warm-water segments, and most of them were from out of state.
“By moving to other fishing areas that were more favorable during drought, visitors kept trout fishing revenue in the state rather than choosing to travel elsewhere,” Cline said in the press release. “Trout fishing in Montana has been remarkably resilient to changing conditions.”
In contrast, resident anglers were less willing to travel to other areas in response to drought, and they often continued to fish along rivers by their homes, even when the conditions were stressful on trout, according to Cline.
While Montana’s fishing economy has demonstrated resilience during past periods of drought—particularly those in the late 1980s, early 2000s and in 2017—Cline said he expects new challenges will emerge as the climate warms throughout the coming decades.
“Montana’s fisheries are renowned for their trout, and trout require cold, clean, connected habitat to survive,” he said. “As the climate warms, a lot of those attributes are changing rapidly.”
Trout generally require water with temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. As temperatures rise, they don’t do as well, and other species tend to thrive, Cline said.
About 35% of Montana’s cold water habitat could become unsuitable for trout by 2080, and the losses could put 30% of current angler spending at risk, which amounts to about 21% of the total annual fishing economy in the region, according to the study.
Critical pieces of cold-water habitat have allowed anglers to keep fishing for trout when other major rivers are closed, and maintaining as many of those features on the landscape as possible can help ensure that the fishing economy remains robust, Cline said.
“When we think of the most productive rivers, we think of places like the Madison and Blackfoot, but under stressful conditions like drought, anglers need to find different opportunities,” he said.
Smaller, colder habitats—like streams that are fed by groundwater—are critical, but they often get overlooked.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome to come, if you don’t know who to bring come alone this is a great mixer event! This is an event hosted by Big Sky OUT as we work to provide queer safe spaces throughout the community.
Time
(Sunday) 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Cowboy Coffee
25 Town Center Ave. Big Sky, MT 59716