University of Michigan research uses archival data to track climate impacts on fish

University of Michigan Associate Professor Karen Alofs presented research at the Center for Ecology and the Environment Fall Symposium regarding the impact of climate change on freshwater fish in Michigan. By analyzing over 75,000 historical lake survey records collected over a century, researchers investigated changes in fish abundance, mortality, and growth.

Findings indicate that Great Lakes temperatures have risen by 1.3 degrees Celsius since 1951. Projections suggest temperatures could increase by as much as 3.3 degrees Celsius by 2050 and up to 6.1 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The study noted that as temperatures rise, the abundance of bass—a warm-water-adapted predatory fish—has increased, though this trend varies across different regions.