CA LCC Project

Effects of Climate Change on Inland Fishes of California

Project Information

California's native fishes are mostly endemic, with no place to go as climate change increases water temperatures and alters stream flows. Many of the alien fishes, however, are likely to benefit from the effects of climate change. The goal of this project is to synthesize life history traits, population trends, status, and threats, including climate change, for all fishes in the state. We have found that 25% of the endemic fishes are now in danger of extinction. Climate change in conjunction with alien species, agriculture, and dams pose the greatest threat to native fishes. Preliminary results from two regional analyses suggest that native fishes in the Sierra Nevada are slightly less (74%) vulnerable to climate change than native fishes in the Klamath Basin (94%), perhaps reflecting prevailing life histories. Due to the regional differences in alien-native interactions, managers may expect that mechanisms expanding the range of alien fishes will differ between regions. Alien fishes may move into "empty" habitats in the Klamath Basin but expand their range in the Sierra Nevada by directly displacing native fishes. Because climate change effects and threats to fishes differ by zoogeographic region, we propose adaptation strategies specific to each region.

Full Proposal Title: 
Effects of Climate Change on Inland Fishes of California: tools for adaptation
Project Lead: 
Peter Moyle, pbmoyle@ucdavis.edu
Status: 
Completed
Starting Date: 
2011-09
Ending Date: 
2013-09
Total LCC Funding: 
92564
Total Matching or In-Kind Funds: 
300000
Attachments

Products of this project

Title Deliverable Type Release Datesort descending Commons Catalog Record or External Link
Recovery of Pacific Salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the Face of Climate Change: A Case Study of the Klamath River Basin, California Publication Dec 2011
Predicted Effects of Climate Change on Inland Fishes of California Datasets / Database Dec 2011
California Native Fish Distribution Maps Datasets / Database Dec 2013
Article in March 2014 Estuary News Publication : Article Mar 2014
Dam removal and anadromous salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) conservation in California Publication May 2014
Potential Factors Affecting Survival Differ by Run-Timing and Location: Linear Mixed-Effects Models of Pacific Salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the Klamath River, California Publication May 2014
Maps of fish biodiversity and imperilment in California Map Jan 2016