Flight of the Freshwater Fish

Abstract

Michael H. Wilson Capstone Abstract December 27, 2016 Flight of the Freshwater Fish The Hudson River provides for millions of people as a path for commercial and private transportation, a source of food and energy, and perhaps most importantly for many living in the tri-state area as a destination for recreation and relaxation. The most overlooked feature of the river is how the wildlife shows clear signs of a changing climate and rapid environmental response to the impacts of global warming on the river. Entire populations of fish species in the lower Hudson have been forced to leave the river for colder waters to the north. Most notably the Atlantic Tomcod, which was once plentiful throughout the river has experienced “catastrophic decline” in just 15 years, according to a report from the New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation. The decline has been attributed mainly to warmer average water temperatures through the river. Complicating the issue, other species of fish, like the Smallmouth Bass, have seen a rapid expansion in the river as the temperatures have warmed to facilitate the population’s movement and growth. These changes are leaving scientists and watershed managers with difficult decisions on how to preserve the fleeing populations while monitoring the growth of other species. Some conservation teams have already begun to intervene to prevent further loss of habitat for the former or to prevent the spread of the invading species. Climate change is contributing to rapid shifts in freshwater ways across the country. What those changes mean for the future are any biologist\u27s guess, but the hard truth is that more change is coming. The hard answer is what will conservationists be able to do about it. This project is primarily a written account of this issue with reporting from local and national scientists on the impacts of global warming on freshwater rivers, lakes and streams in North America. The writing is accompanied by images of the New York State Fisheries team collecting data along the Hudson River. Two animated GIFs of the Hudson River are also included to provide a sense of place for the story. Lastly, I am responsible for all of the HTML and CSS coding of the page, which was written mostly from scratch for this project. Full Site: http://michaelhwilson.com/flight-of-the-freshwater-fish