Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
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Some Species and Habitat Loss from Climate Change May Already Be Irreversible
In the latest global climate report, scientists have a sobering message about fish and wildlife habitat reaching a tipping point
Late last summer, we shared with you TRCP’s readout on the latest global climate report put together by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The main takeaway was that climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe, leaving no question that fish and wildlife habitat in the U.S. is being impacted.
To double down on this message that climate change is already affecting your hunting and fishing opportunities—not just those of future generations—we’d like to draw your attention to the IPCC’s second installment of the four-part report. In this installment, scientists have focused on risks, vulnerability, and the adaptation and mitigation of climate impacts.
The epic 3,600-page document further explains how we know climate impacts are already happening, that they are more widespread and intense than we realized, and they will continue to get worse as warming continues. Here’s what sportsmen and sportswomen need to know.
Impacts to Hunting and Fishing
Our lives are already deeply impacted by climate change. Our new normal is punctuated by extreme weather events, such as catastrophic fires and more frequent and destructive floods and hurricanes.
Hunters and anglers—who are on the front lines, spending significant time in the affected habitats—are also experiencing and reporting changes to the environment. These include shifts in the seasonal ranges of certain species, earlier or later season start times, waters that are too low or too hot to fish, reduced snow cover, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and habitats degraded and fragmented by drought, fire, or flooding. In addition to ecosystem losses and damages, climate change is challenging our agriculture system, limiting water availability, and damaging infrastructure and the economy.
This latest IPCC report makes clear that climate change is threatening our way of life, and in some cases, our livelihoods.
What We Didn’t Expect
Unfortunately, this latest analysis gets worse: some losses from climate change are already irreversible—and more are approaching a point of no return.
We’ve experienced the first species extinction driven by climate change, and species loss at a local level has been elevated because of periods of extreme heat. Around half of the species assessed globally by IPCC scientists have moved to higher latitudes or higher land elevations. The permafrost found within North America in Alaska and Canada is melting, which allows additional carbon dioxide and methane to be released into the atmosphere, while also causing flooding, erosion, and habitat fragmentation.
The impacts to biodiversity reduce the ability of an ecosystem to function, recover, and adapt to change. Affected habitat is less able to provide services like water filtration and recharge or carbon storage, which combats climate change.
What We Can Do
Climate change and biodiversity are interconnected and interdependent, meaning that the breadth and variety of life in a particular habitat is altered by climate change, and in turn, the ecosystem services normally provided by these species and the landscape cannot serve as an important tool to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Put another way: Continued unsustainable use and management of our land, water, and wildlife will support continued global warming, and every bit of warming will further degrade ecosystems, weakening habitat and reducing our food and water security.
Though the report presents a bleak reality and grim future, it also highlights the importance of nature-based climate solutions and continued conservation. Many of the TRCP’s top conservation priorities would reverse habitat loss and wildlife species declines, strengthening the U.S. economy and delivering carbon storage solutions. This includes better land-use planning, more climate-smart agricultural practices, and restoration and conservation of forests, peatlands, grasslands, coastal and inland wetlands, and headwaters and natural river systems.
We believe in this work and your need to understand the challenges we face. Do you have a question about the impacts of climate change on hunting fishing? Leave a comment and we may address your question in an upcoming blog or social media post.
Top photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service / Cole Barash via Flickr.
How Working Lands Are Bringing Back Bobwhite Quail
One Farm Bill conservation program aims to conserve 7 million acres of quail habitat by 2026
For farmers, ranchers, independent foresters, and other private landowners, conservation is a constant balancing act between pursuing ecological benefits and ensuring economic sustainability. Agricultural producers operate in a sea of market variables that put pressure on their operations, and successful efforts to conserve lands and waters can, in fact, complement growing operations.
This is exactly the aim of the Working Lands for Wildlife Program.
Since 2012, this Farm Bill program has empowered the voluntary conservation of priority habitat through the improvement of working landscapes, providing a win-win for wildlife and landowners. In partnership with state agencies, conservation groups, and landowners, the Natural Resources Conservation Service identifies priority species for conservation through WLFW, and so it has become an important tool in averting the need for costly endangered species protections. Click here for a map outlining existing WLFW species initiatives in 2021.
The iconic bobwhite quail has been a target species of the WLFW program since 2017. Bobwhites are considered an “edge” bird and can be found along crop fields, as they demand a variety of grassy cover and forbs to provide food, shelter, and protection. But bobwhite populations have fallen by over 80 percent in the last three decades because of habitat conversion, fragmentation, and degradation.
Fortunately, the WLFW Bobwhite Initiative has facilitated motivated state conservationists and partner groups—like Quail Forever and the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative—as well as landowners, to leverage federal funds and technical assistance available through WLFW to the species’ advantage.
The WLFW Bobwhite Quail Initiative is currently underway in 24 states, and was recently expanded through the renewed 2022 WLFW Bobwhite, Grasslands, and Savannas Framework for Conservation Action—which sets program goals for the next five years.
The 2022 framework sets an ambitious course for the future of grassland and quail habitat conservation in the central and eastern U.S.: Through Fiscal Year 2026, the NRCS intends to conserve 7 million acres of bobwhite habitat through the WLFW initiative.
With technical assistance from the NRCS, state and NGO partners will prioritize areas where there is the greatest need and practices that will make the biggest impact, such as the removal and monitoring of invasive trees across native grass ranges in Kansas. In states like Georgia and South Carolina, brush management and timber thinning will restore the health of forest stands and return undergrowth for brooding, nesting, and winter habitat. Several other states will seek easement agreements with landowners to secure habitat that is under threat.
Recovering bobwhite quail populations will take many years and require the thoughtful, collaborative model of conservation showcased by the Working Lands for Wildlife Program. Fortunately, conservation practices have wide-reaching impacts, from reducing input costs and increasing yields for producers to sequestering carbon and improving water quality. Enhanced habitat and connectivity for bobwhite quail will also benefit songbirds, pollinators, and countless other species—creating an ecosystem-wide impact that multiplies conservation value.
The thoughtful implementation of the WLFW program, as well as others in the Farm Bill’s conservation title, provides locally led efforts with the financial and technical support to reverse decades of habitat loss. We’re eager to see that work continue. Click here to learn more about our goals for the next Farm Bill.
First Overhaul of Atlantic Striped Bass Management in Almost 20 Years
The TRCP and our recreational fishing partners are weighing in with detailed, technical feedback for fisheries managers—here are the high points
Anglers up and down the Atlantic coast know that the quality of striped bass fishing has deteriorated significantly over the past decade. In fact, a 2018 stock assessment conducted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission—the interstate body responsible for managing striped bass and other near-shore species—confirmed that the species has been overfished since 2013.
These findings tripped existing management triggers, and the ASMFC responded by mandating an 18-percent reduction in catch in 2020 to try and end overfishing and begin rebuilding the striped bass population. Commissioners also mandated the use of circle hooks when fishing with bait, created a slot limit, and continued a bag limit of one fish per angler. Separately, the commission is also reining in the menhaden reduction industry, which should provide more food for bass and other predators.
We will find out how much those measures helped later this year, when the updated stock assessment will be released. What we’re seeing on the water and in annual data collection, like the Maryland Young of the Year Study, indicates that the population is still in trouble.
In order to end overfishing and rebuild the striped bass stock, the ASMFC is currently going through a major overhaul of the Fisheries Management Plan that regulates striped bass. Through a proposed update known as Amendment 7, fisheries managers are looking to institutionalize changes to the FMP that will prevent striped bass from ending up in this depleted state in the future. This is the first overhaul of the FMP since 2003.
The proposed amendment is extremely technical, and the ASMFC is asking for public comment on a long list of management measures. You can count on the TRCP and our recreational fishing partners to respond in detail, but here is a quick summary of the four areas where updates to striped bass management are being considered.
Management Triggers
In what is by far the most complicated part of the amendment, the ASMFC is considering changes to the multiple triggers that determine when they are required to take management action in response to a decline in the striped bass population. Under this system, a combination of factors—including more striper deaths annually, fewer large egg-laying females, and fewer juvenile fish—trigger the ASMFC to take corrective actions.
One option being considered in this section includes extending the amount of time the commission has to respond when triggers are tripped. We’ll be opposing this, as the declining stock should be addressed and rebuilt as soon as possible. The ASMFC should not have the option to defer management action.
Recreational Release Mortality
The popularity of catch-and-release striped bass fishing, combined with size and bag limits, creates a high proportion of fish being released. Post-release mortality—or the number of fish that die after being released—currently accounts for the highest percentage of striped bass deaths.
This section of the amendment introduces management options to reduce fishing mortality through seasonal closures, gear restrictions, and angler education. The introduction of circle hooks in 2020 was the first step. Seasonal closures of fishing during spawning periods and education of anglers on proper handling and release practices should be adopted to further reduce the number of dead striped bass. Anglers need to learn that even if a fish swims away when released, it still might die if it wasn’t handled and released properly.
Rebuilding Plan
This section considers whether to empower the ASMFC to respond quickly to the results of the October 2022 stock assessment, rather than going through a full addendum process. This should be supported to rebuild the striped bass stock as quickly as possible.
Conservation Equivalency
Individual states have the option of submitting alternative fishing plans that try and achieve the same level of conservation as the Fisheries Management Plan standards. It is the responsibility of the state to demonstrate that the proposed management program is equivalent and consistent with the FMP standards, but historically this has created regulatory inconsistency among states.
The current use of conservation equivalency for striped bass is not working. In fact, it has resulted in fishing mortality that exceeds the target for striped bass. For this reason, the TRCP supports the position that conservation equivalency cannot be used when the stock is overfished.
How Anglers Can Help
If you care about striped bass fishing, this amendment process is significant. These are complex issues, and the health of striped bass populations is on the line. Anglers can tune in to the Amendment 7 public hearings in your home state or send comments directly to the ASMFC.
This is a detailed guide put together by our partners at the American Sportfishing Association, if you want to drill down on each issue. The TRCP agrees with ASA on these positions.
The TRCP will join other recreational fishing leaders in sending a formal letter to the ASMFC outlining our recommendations. We’ll also be engaging the commission directly to talk through policy solutions to end overfishing and rebuild this iconic fishery.
Top photo courtesy of Joe Manansala / Woozy Fishing via Flickr.
51 Outdoor Groups Push for Strategic Use of Infrastructure Funding
Broad coalition offers six recommendations for successful implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Today, 51 hunting, fishing, conservation, landowner, and business organizations representing the $689-billion outdoor recreation economy and millions of Americans wrote to the Biden-Harris Administration with several key recommendations for implementation of the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Enacted into law on November 15, 2021, the $1.2-trillion IIJA provides a critical infusion of resources to advance infrastructure solutions that recognize the value of natural systems and enhance climate resilience, while connecting Americans to their public lands and waters. Our community worked with Congress to secure critical funding in the IIJA package to advance wildlife crossings, ensure aquatic connectivity and fish passage, implement natural infrastructure solutions, prioritize clean water, and restore habitat across the country.
As the administration moves forward with IIJA implementation, our community is making recommendations to the Biden-Harris Administration in several key areas:
- Building on existing partnerships
- Prioritizing durable conservation and outdoor recreation at the landscape- and watershed-scale
- Addressing capacity needs and other barriers
- Waiving match requirements
- Improving the NEPA process to get projects on the ground quickly
- Developing a national IIJA project dashboard and geospatial tool to track and monitor implementation
We believe these recommendations will help to ensure this critical federal funding advances conservation and recreation at scale and results in lasting, durable solutions to address the most pressing infrastructure challenges facing our nation.
“The commitment that Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration made to our nation’s land, water, and wildlife through enactment of the bipartisan infrastructure package was a major victory, but how we put these critical investments on the ground matters just as much,” says Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Our coalition includes organizations that do significant work to implement projects on-the-ground, and our partnerships can provide a lot of value to agencies that are rolling out these infrastructure dollars.”
“The states welcome the opportunity to collaborate with our federal partners on implementing the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA),” says Tony Wasley, director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife and president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “This infusion of federal funding will help us to strategically build upon existing fish and wildlife conservation efforts and expand outdoor recreational opportunities for all to enjoy.”
The letter is cosigned by the American Sportfishing Association, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Boone and Crockett Club, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Mule Deer Foundation, Outdoor Industry Association, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, Wild Salmon Center, Wildlife Mississippi, and 36 other partner organizations. Read the full letter here.
Letter recipients include the Secretaries of Interior, Transportation, Agriculture, and Commerce; Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality; and senior leadership at federal natural resource management agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Federal Highway Administration, and the Bureau of Reclamation.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
CHEERS TO CONSERVATION
Theodore Roosevelt’s experiences hunting and fishing certainly fueled his passion for conservation, but it seems that a passion for coffee may have powered his mornings. In fact, Roosevelt’s son once said that his father’s coffee cup was “more in the nature of a bathtub.” TRCP has partnered with Afuera Coffee Co. to bring together his two loves: a strong morning brew and a dedication to conservation. With your purchase, you’ll not only enjoy waking up to the rich aroma of this bolder roast—you’ll be supporting the important work of preserving hunting and fishing opportunities for all.
$4 from each bag is donated to the TRCP, to help continue their efforts of safeguarding critical habitats, productive hunting grounds, and favorite fishing holes for future generations.
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