July 28, 2021

American Fisheries Society ·Association for the Sciences of Limnologists and Oceanographers · Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation · North American Lake Management Society · Phycological Society of America · Society for Freshwater Science · Society of Wetland Scientists July 26, 2021 The Honorable Charles Schumer Majority Leader U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20500 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Minority Leader U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy: The undersigned aquatic science societies write today to urge your leadership and commitment to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. As you consider legislative action on infrastructure, we would like to make you aware of (1) the global consensus of the aquatic science societies on the effects of climate change on fisheries and other aquatic resources, (2) the urgency of reducing carbon emissions, and (3) steps that can be taken to help mitigate the effects of climate change on fisheries in the interim. Statement of Global Aquatic Science Societies The undersigned professional societies represent nearly 17,000 individuals with diverse knowledge of the aquatic sciences. Our members work in the private sector, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and various tribal, state, and federal agencies. We support the development and use of the best-available science to sustainably manage our freshwater, estuarine, coastal, and ocean resources to the benefit of the U.S. economy, environment, and public health and safety. Last fall, the undersigned organizations and 104 other science societies representing 80,000 scientists across the world called for urgent action to reduce emissions to avoid catastrophic impacts to commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries, human health, and global economies. Attached please find the statement that details the irreversible impacts to freshwater and marine ecosystems, fish, and fisheries from climate change that are projected to occur without swift and resolute action to curtail greenhouse gas emissions. We must act now to safeguard our drinking water, food supplies, and human health and well-being. Urgency of Carbon Emission Reductions Scientists are already observing significant changes to freshwater and marine species as a result of climate change. Today, forty percent of all freshwater fish species in North America are imperiled as a result of pollution, habitat loss, water withdrawals, and invasive species. Highly valued fisheries will be further stressed by climate change as it accelerates and intensifies water pollution, species range reductions, species extinctions, and facilitates invasive species introduction to the detriment of native species. Climate change is warming rivers, lakes, and streams and altering precipitation patterns throughout America, reducing habitat availability for fish, particularly for coldwater species such as trout, which provide highly valuable recreational fisheries across much of the country. Climate change is also altering marine and coastal ecosystems with significant implications for wild capture fisheries and marine economies. Projected increases in ocean temperature are expected to reduce the maximum catch potential in most areas in the U.S. Many harvested stocks are already and will continue to shift from one area to another, or even across international boundaries with implications for seafood supply, ports, and associated businesses. Loss of habitat from sea level rise will lead to declines in the vast majority of commercially and recreationally harvested marine finfish and shellfish that are dependent on estuaries and coastal systems for some stage of their life cycle. Increased carbon dioxide absorption is changing ocean chemistry, rendering some waters too acidic for marine organisms with calcium-based shells, such as oysters and clams, and threatening the base of the marine food web. In the U.S., commercial and recreational fishing support more than 1.74 million jobs and results in more than $244 billion in sales per year. The economic and environmental value of the ecosystem services provided by our nation’s aquatic resources is also of great importance and must be safeguarded from the damaging effects of climate change. Any plan to address climate change must include significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions to avoid catastrophic impacts to our nations’ freshwater and marine aquatic resources. Mitigation and Research to Help Protect Aquatic Resources As part of any climate solution, we urge you to also protect the integrity of our healthy aquatic ecosystems and work to restore degraded systems in order to maintain their crucial storage of carbon as part of halting and eventually reversing the effects of climate change. Land and water-based conservation solutions are critical to capture carbon and to make our rivers, lakes and streams, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal systems more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Additional investments should be made in already existing conservation programs and activities with established funding delivery systems, partner and volunteer networks, and demonstrated track records for implementation and effectiveness. In other cases, new programs and funding streams will need to be developed in order to capture the full extent and utility of our natural systems to sequester carbon, build climate resiliency, and adapt to climate change. To the extent possible, we must mitigate the impacts of climate change on fish and fisheries and plan for adaptation required to ensure the long-term health of our freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems and the many economies that depend upon them. We must also address the regulatory changes over the last four years that put the U.S. on the wrong course to deal with the very real and significant impacts to our fish and aquatic resources from climate change. Again, we urge your leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting and restoring our nation’s aquatic resources. We look forward to working together on this critically important issue. Sincerely, American Fisheries Society Association for the Sciences of Limnologists and Oceanographers Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation North American Lake Management Society Phycological Society of America Society for Freshwater Science Society of Wetland Scientists