‘It’s tough.’ California fly fisher says trout are struggling as the climate warms » Yale Climate Connections

For decades, Bernard Yin has fly-fished for trout in California’s mountain streams. He’s used to seeing changes.

Yin: “There can be droughts and wet years. … As time has gone on, and in more recent years, it has become quite clear that these swings are more dramatic.”

Droughts are intensifying as the climate warms. With less water, streams heat up, and the oxygen in the water drops. This stresses cold-water fish like trout. And if anglers catch and release them, the already-struggling fish may not recover.

So Yin and his wife Rebecca Ramirez often wait to fish until rain or melting snow make the water cooler.

Ramirez says it’s hard knowing trout are struggling.

Ramirez: “It’s tough. And I think that’s also been the catalyst for us to become more involved in conservation-related work. Like, how can we help?”

The couple volunteer as ambassadors for California Trout, a nonprofit. And they’re helping the Watershed Conservation Authority monitor water temperatures in the San Gabriel watershed.

They hope the data help people better understand the conditions that trout are suffering from – and inform decisions about how to protect them.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media