MANAGING FOR RESILIENT FRESHWATER FISHERIES UNDER GLOBAL CHANGE

Freshwater ecosystems and fisheries are experiencing unprecedented rates of change from multiple stressors, including climate change and land-use change. Successful management under these conditions requires identification of key levers that can maintain fisheries within the safe operating space. Here, we provide a framework for managing freshwater fisheries for resilience under environmental change across multiple scales based on two examples. First, we describe a passive adaptive management experiment for understanding drivers of and potential management responses to ongoing walleye declines in northern Wisconsin lakes. We assess the evidence for management effectiveness in these lakes following multiple years of management interventions relative to reference systems. Second, we developed landscape models of resilience of coldwater fish habitat to climate change and watershed development under the safe operating space context. We describe the development and application of these models to prioritize protection of coldwater habitat under warming conditions. Local actions can influence freshwater fish responses to global change and facilitate adaptation and restoration of valued fisheries, but knowing how, when, and where management is likely to be effective requires a commitment to science-based management and resilience thinking. Collectively, these examples highlight the depth and breadth of the influence of Dr. Steve Carpenter’s approach to fisheries science and resilience thinking and the widespread influence of his career on freshwater fisheries management.

Primary Presenter: Gretchen Hansen, University of Minnesota (ghansen@umn.edu)

Authors:

Gretchen Hansen, University Of Minnesota  (ghansen@umn.edu)

Holly Embke, United States Geological Survey  (hembke@usgs.gov)

Jonathan Hansen, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources  (jon.hansen@state.mn.us)

Peter Jacobson, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources  (pejacobs58@gmail.com)

Alexander Latzka, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources  (Alexander.Latzka@wisconsin.gov)

Stephanie Shaw, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources  (stephanie.shaw@wisconsin.gov)

Kevin Wehrly, Michigan Department of Natural Resources  (WehrlyK@michigan.gov)

Stephen Carpenter, University of Wisconsin-Madison  (steve.carpenter@wisc.edu)