Statement of Dr. Jack Williams

**Senior Scientist, Trout Unlimited**

**Before the**

**Subcommittee of Water and Power**

**Energy and Natural Resources Committee**

**United States Senate**

**June 6, 2007**

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to
appear before you today to provide Trout Unlimited's perspective on the
impacts of climate change on our nation's water supply, related impacts
to trout and salmon populations, as well as strategies that we believe
can be important in responding to the very serious threat that climate
change poses to these valuable resources.

Trout Unlimited (TU) is the nation's largest coldwater fisheries
conservation organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of
our nation's trout and salmon, and the watersheds that sustain them. Our
goal is to restore robust populations of native and wild coldwater
fishes so that future generations can enjoy these resources. TU has more
than 160,000 members organized into 450 chapters across the country. Our
members generally are trout and salmon anglers who give back to the
resources they love by voluntarily contributing substantial amounts of
their personal time and energy to fisheries habitat protection and
restoration on public and private lands. The average TU chapter donates
1,000 hours of volunteer time on an annual basis.

My name is Jack Williams and I serve as Senior Scientist for Trout
Unlimited. Prior to working for TU, I was privileged to serve in a
number of research and management positions in the federal government,
including Endangered Species Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, National Fisheries Program Manager for the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), Science Advisor to the Director of the BLM, Deputy
Forest Supervisor on the Boise National Forest, and Forest Supervisor on
the Rogue River and Siskiyou national forests. I have also served as a
Professor at Southern Oregon University and retain the title of Adjunct
Professor at that institution.

Trout Unlimited is very concerned about the impacts of climate change on
our water and fisheries resources. During the past year, a team of TU
scientists and geographic information specialists have modeled the
impacts of climate change on coldwater fishes, reviewed available
scientific literature, and prepared articles on the impacts of climate
change for our members. In addition, TU has polled hunters and anglers
across the country to determine their level of interest and concerns
about how climate change is likely to impact their recreational
pursuits. Furthermore, we have developed a series of strategies, that if
implemented, we believe will substantially increase the resistance and
resilience to climate change impacts in our nation's salmon and trout
streams.

I would like to briefly describe the impacts from climate change on our
trout and salmon resources and their habitats and then proceed to
describe our strategies to increase resistance and resilience to these
impacts.

*Impacts to Trout and Salmon Resources*

There is a clear scientific consensus that climate change will have
major and negative implications to our nation's hydrology and river
systems. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have predicted broad declines in
trout and salmon populations as well. U.S. Forest Service scientists
have predicted that between 53 and 97% of wild trout populations are
likely to be eliminated from the Appalachian Mountains because of
warming climate. Losses of western trout populations may be as high as
64%. Most studies of Pacific Coast salmon predict losses of 20-40% by
the year 2050. The bad news about the salmon models is that they may
actually be optimistic predictions because they focus on freshwater
conditions and do not consider the complexity and uncertainty of
changing ocean environments.

Although some regions will fare better than others and the timing and
severity of impacts is somewhat uncertain, the overall need for concern
should be clear. Based on review of the relevant literature and
research, the following impacts from climate change are likely to occur:
increased stream temperatures, increased evaporation rates, earlier
spring runoff, reduced snowpack, higher winter flows and lower summer
flows in most streams, greater storm intensity and increased frequency
of floods, drought and wildfires, and rising sea levels. Erosion rates
will increase as will polluted runoff from our cities and agricultural
areas. One of the most significant bottom lines for fisheries and other
water users is that stream flows are likely to be even lower during
future summers than they have been in the past.

While some consequences of climate change are highly predictable others
are not. Beginning in 2002, a "dead zone" of very low dissolved oxygen
has appeared each year off the Oregon coast. Unlike other oceanic dead
zones, this one is not attributable to pollution or other human impact
that has been identified. Rather, it is caused by changes in ocean
currents and upwelling that is in turn, controlled by weather patterns.
In 2006, the dead zone covered 1,235 square miles, an area the size of
Rhode Island. According to Oregon State University Professor Jane
Lubchenco, "we are beginning to think there has been some sort of
fundamental change in ocean conditions off the West Coast." The changes
appear consistent with wind patterns modified by climate change.

The Oregon coast changes bring up another important concern: climate
change is not just a problem of the future, but is a growing concern of
the present. Our climate already is rapidly changing and we currently
are seeing impacts to our stream systems and aquatic communities. For
instance, because of warmer stream flows and earlier peak runoff,
mayflies and other aquatic insects are emerging earlier in Rocky
Mountain streams. Earlier emergence of aquatic insects means that
females are smaller in body size and produce fewer eggs than would
insects that emerge later. Such changes may seem minor but could have
cascading implications to fish populations that depend on mayflies,
caddisflies, stoneflies and other aquatic insects as their primary food
supplies.

At TU we have modeled impacts of climate change on Colorado River
cutthroat trout in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado; Bonneville cutthroat
trout in Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada; and westslope cutthroat trout
in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. In 5 of the 8 major river
drainages where Colorado River cutthroat trout occur, most populations
already are below adequate habitat thresholds and will be further
stressed by climate change impacts. The same situation is true for 2 of
4 geographic management areas of Bonneville cutthroat trout. Most
remaining populations of both subspecies are restricted to small,
headwater streams, which will feel the brunt of climate change impacts
due to declining snowpacks, drought and wildfire. Westslope cutthroat
trout fare somewhat better because of existing strongholds in National
Forest wilderness areas. Nonetheless, populations of westslope cutthroat
continue to be invaded by non-native rainbow trout that hybridize with
the cutthroat and eliminate the native gene pool.

Depending on the climate model used, most salmon populations in the
Pacific Northwest are expected to decline by 20 to 40% by the year 2050.
In California, where temperatures already pose a significant source of
stress for fisheries, greater declines are likely.

Unless immediate action is taken to restore resistance and resiliency to
climate change impacts, stream conditions will degrade and many more of
our native trout and salmon may soon warrant the protection of the
Endangered Species Act. Let me outline what can be done to alleviate at
least some of the adverse impacts of climate change on the nation's
trout and salmon populations.

*Strategies to Increase the Resistance and Resilience to Climate Change
Impacts*

Trout Unlimited works primarily to implement what we refer to as the
Protect-Reconnect-Restore model of fishery sustainability. This process
emphasizes protection of our best remaining habitats and populations,
reconnecting stream systems by removing instream barriers and
reestablishing flows, and restoring vital lower-elevation rivers. I will
describe six strategies for dealing with a rapidly changing climate that
fit this model. These strategies are consistent with the best available
science and have been proven to be effective in on-the-ground
application. Our primary goal in suggesting these strategies is to
increase the resistance to climate change impacts in our natural systems
and to enable fish populations and their habitats to rebound more
completely once they are disturbed by flood, drought and wildfire that
will accompany a warming environment.

Furthermore, it is important to realize that these actions must be
implemented strategically to achieve success. That is, for each
evolutionarily significant unit of salmon, or each large river basin
with trout, we need to identify the best subset of opportunities for
protection, reconnection, and restoration. We must carefully choose
those areas for restoration where we can make the most immediate and
lasting impact.

**Strategy 1: Protect remaining core habitat areas.** It is vital that
remaining salmon and trout strongholds as well as watersheds that
produce reliable supplies of cold water be protected from additional
disturbance. Watersheds that currently support large and robust
populations of native fisheries should be protected from new dam and
road development. Simply stated, it is more biologically sound and cost
effective to protect existing population strongholds than attempt to
restore them once they have been disturbed.

**Strategy 2: Maintain genetic and life history diversity.** Higher
levels of genetic diversity enable populations to better adapt to future
environmental change. For example, scientists at the University of
Washington have demonstrated that large numbers of separate spawning
populations of sockeye salmon in Alaska's Bristol Bay have been the key
to maintaining that robust fishery in the face of changing freshwater
and marine conditions. Under certain conditions, one set of stocks will
be favored and produce abundant offspring; when conditions shift, a
different group of populations will be favored. It is simply a matter of
maintaining all the genetic pieces to maximize adaptability.

Life history diversity also is critical. In western cutthroat trout, for
example, most populations are resident stream forms that are restricted
to single tributaries. But, restoring migratory populations expands
habitat options, produces bigger fish, and allows remaining individuals
more opportunities to find suitable habitats as stream conditions and
flows change.

**Strategy 3: Increase size and extent of existing populations.**
Currently, many populations of native trout in the West have been pushed
into upper elevation streams as non-native species have been introduced
downstream. We know that at least 5 miles of continuous high quality
habitat are necessary to ensure the likelihood that each trout
population will persist for many generations. The populations already
are being squeezed from downstream reaches. Climate change will squeeze
them from upstream as snowpacks diminish and precipitation patterns
change. The options for these fish are to expand into remaining
downstream habitat or perish. But for downstream expansion to be
possible, non-native fishes must be removed and habitats restored.

**Strategy 4: Minimize outside stressors.** In many ways, the impacts of
climate change will bring additional stress to stream systems and
watersheds that already have been pushed to their ecological limits. We
may not be able to slow the immediate impacts of a changing climate, but
we can identify and remove or mitigate existing sources of stress. Too
many roads, poorly constructed culverts, and poor livestock practices
are a few examples of existing stressors that can be fixed. Watersheds
that are in a healthy condition will be better able to withstand the
stress of climate-imposed impacts and rebound from disturbances.

We know basic improvements in water quality, restoration of riparian
habitats, and restoration of stream channel complexity will improve
habitats and create refuges from warm water by forming deeper and more
shaded pools of cool water. This appears just as true for small mountain
streams in New Mexico or Montana as it does for larger river systems in
coastal areas of Oregon and Washington.

**Strategy 5: Manage at watershed scales to reconnect stream systems.**
Many existing stream systems have been disconnected by construction of
dams, water diversions, and other dewatering processes. We should
identify and reconnect the hydrology in those areas that are most likely
to provide for long-term survival of trout and salmon. In some cases,
this may be as easy as replacing poorly designed culverts with small
bridges that allow upstream and downstream movement of fish and spawning
gravels.

**Strategy 6: Monitor, evaluate and employ adaptive management.** As
noted earlier, our ecosystems are complex and some impacts of climate
change are difficult to predict with certainty. Therefore, it is
important to adequately fund monitoring programs and maintain the
ability to modify our management approach in the face of changing
conditions and new information. We must listen to what the land is
telling us as climate shifts.

*Conclusion*

In conclusion, we find that climate change poses a serious and imminent
threat to our nation's water and stream resources and to the trout and
salmon populations they support. Further, we believe that the impacts of
a rapidly changing climate are already manifesting themselves through
changes in precipitation regimes and snowmelt patterns, warmer weather
and increasing drought, reduced snowpacks and earlier stream runoff,
reduced stream flows in the summer, and a greater threat from
disturbance processes such as drought, flood and wildfire.

Despite these significant challenges posed by a rapidly changing
climate, we believe there are many reasonable and proven actions, such
as the strategies described herein, that can be taken immediately to
reduce the threats to our coldwater fishery resources. We strongly
believe that our actions must be based on the principles of conservation
biology and restoration ecology.

The long-term health of our rivers and watersheds must have priority
over any quick fixes. We are highly skeptical of any attempts to
channelize streams or dam headwaters in an effort to control flows and
floods. Rather, we advocate healthy streams and floodplains that are
more able to absorb higher energies associated with floods and also are
more likely to slowly release water and maintain flows during summer and
autumn.

Many of our existing trout and salmon face an increased risk of
extinction. It is important to make investments in protection and
restoration of our streams, riparian areas and watersheds during the
current and coming years while the debates and discussions concerning
our energy policies and carbon footprint move forward. By making such
basic investments in the health of our watersheds, we will insure the
persistence of our most valuable salmon and trout populations and buy
the time needed to deal with the larger problem of reducing our carbon
footprint.

Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to
answering any questions that you may have.