Climate Change May Be Impacting Wisconsin's Walleye

Friday, June 3rd, 2022 -- 11:01 AM

(Bob Hague, WRN) A new report suggests climate change is impacting Wisconsin’s signature game fish and anglers may need to get hooked on other species.

Zach Feiner is a research scientist at the UW–Madison Center for Limnology, and lead author on the walleye report. “Walleye are a cold water species, so they prefer lakes with cool temperatures or lakes that have areas of cold water that they can stay in.”

A warming climate means that in many lakes, warm water species are going to out-compete walleye. “This report is not saying ‘give up on walleye.’ Walleye is still important to keep on the landscape, it’s just going to be in some places where it’s clear that they’re not going to be doing well, and it’s outside of our management control, what are some other options that we can come up with.”

Feiner stated that other fishing opportunities will still be available. “I think a lot of anglers are pretty flexible, and they’re able to pursue these new opportunities as they arrive on the landscape. But it will take a lot of communication between the DNR, recreational anglers, tribal fishers as well as something we really focused on in the report, to make sure the information is getting to them and to allow them to take advantage of those opportunities.”

In Wisconsin, lakes that have historically been havens for walleye are now so warm that the scales are tipped in favor of species of fish like bass and bluegill.

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