Climate change, trout ecology and the future of inland trout management in 
Wisconsin
Matthew G. Mitro*, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, WI  

Wisconsin is recognized for its abundance of coldwater streams, which includes over 
10,000 miles of classified trout streams that provide fisheries for brook trout and brown 
trout. Expected changes in air temperature and precipitation patterns across Wisconsin, 
attributable to global climate change, may threaten the viability of Wisconsin's inland trout 
resources. I will discuss mechanisms linking changes in climate, the stream environment 
and trout at the individual and population levels, and I will discuss the challenges and 
opportunities in managing for inland trout in the face of climate change. Trout have evolved 
to exploit particular water temperature and flow regimes. Changes in these physical habitat 
attributes may affect trout physiology, behavior, growth, and survival. I will discuss how trout 
respond to changes in water temperature and how trout life history relates to seasonal 
stream flow attributes. However, climate-induced changes in stream temperature and flow 
will not be uniform. Interactions between climate variables (air temperature and 
precipitation) and stream temperature and flow are mediated by stream channel, riparian 
and watershed characteristics. It follows that the ability of streams to buffer change in water 
temperature and flow against change in climate will vary. Herein lays opportunity for 
managing inland trout under a climate change scenario. I will discuss mechanisms linking 
climate and stream habitat, including inferences from a model developed to predict water 
temperature in Wisconsin streams, and I will show how this knowledge can be used to 
better allocate management resources in order to increase the probability of success in 
managing inland trout populations threatened by climate change.
*Presenter