How can a warming Earth impact the Carolinas fishing industry in the future?

CHARLOTTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — One of the top recreational activities people do during the summer is heading out to the local lake, river, or stream for a good day of fishing.

Due to our warming planet, fish are swimming in warmer bodies of water. That can not only impact the health of the fish, but also our success rate on fishing trips. 

It is a trickle-down impact. The warmer waters stress the fish out by affecting their health and the ecosystems. This, in turn, interrupts the fishing industry. 

The fish get distributed more within the water because they are seeking out cooler, deeper waters. This means they are less likely to bite when you are out fishing. 

Lower fish populations can lead to impacts on both commercial and recreational fishing industries. This could also lead to economic loss. 

“The hotter the water, the more susceptible fish are to having diseases, parasites, that sort of thing. Kind of that longer window of warm water and warm temperatures makes those fish susceptible even longer. Fish can have diseases and pathogens; we hope they don’t, but if they do, they also can spread it to other fish within that body of water,” said NC Wildlife Resources Commission Fisheries Biologist Casey Joubert. 

Warmer water also holds less oxygen, which makes it harder for the fish to breathe. 

While how climate change is impacting the fishing industry is not an immediate concern as of now, Joubert added that it will likely become a bigger concern in the future. 

“Long-term, my kids fishing, their kids fishing. It is something to be concerned about. As I mentioned before, some of our native species can’t handle hotter temperatures, and if they lose their habitat that they are able to live in, we are going to end up getting a lot of invasive species and non-native species.”, said Joubert. 

You can head over to Queen City News+ and stream this episode of Pinpoint Weather University.