Michigan’s unusually warm winter temperatures, followed by a historic drought and one of the hottest summers on record, are warming the Au Sable. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
Michigan’s unusually warm winter temperatures, followed by a historic drought and one of the hottest summers on record, are warming the Au Sable. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
Unhealthy trout populations are an alarm bell: the poor water quality conditions that cause trout to suffer are likely also stressing invertebrates and other biota. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
Landen Finkle is fascinated with freshwater ecology, and hopes to guide fishing expeditions one day. Like a majority of his generation, climate and environmental issues weigh on his mental health.  Increasing signs of the river’s decline make him feel helpless at times, and fearful for the future. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
2021-09-11 Michigan Ausable drone JGanter DJI_0294-Edit-Edit 2500
The river in northern Michigan is so revered as a trout fishery that in 1959 a group of Au Sable fisherman formed Trout Unlimited, now the country’s premier advocacy organization to protect cold-water streams nationwide. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
Over his 20-year career as an angler, David McCool has watched as intensifying weather patterns have gradually added stress to the ecosystem. “The guides of the Au Sable, we’re on the front lines,” he said. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
When the water is warm, much of the Au Sable’s trout population fled into the river’s tributaries, instinctively searching for oxygen-richer waters. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue

Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has posted signs along the river urging anglers to consider not fishing when temperatures exceed 68 degrees, at which point even catch-and-release can kill a fish. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue


Among recreational fishermen, a demographic that leans politically conservative, the declining state of the nation’s rivers has begun changing minds about climate change. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue

The good news is that, just as stress on river ecosystems accumulates gradually, so too can it be lessened. Simple mitigation techniques can be the difference between whether a fish population persists in an area or not. © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue