Table 3 (Online Only). Current and Expected Sensitivities of Fish to Climate Change On

Table 3 (online only). Current and expected sensitivities of fish to climate change on the Olympic Peninsula, and associated adaptation strategies and actions for fisheries and fish habitat management at Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park. Sensitivities are based on projected climate change effects on Olympic Peninsula, including increased winter precipitation and runoff, more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow, increased storm intensity, greater winter and spring streamflows in some types of watersheds, increased flood frequency and magnitude in some types of watersheds, elevation shifts in transition (rain-on-snow) zones, reduced summer streamflows, and increased stream temperatures.

Current and expected sensitivities / Adaptation strategies and actions
·  Changes in fish distribution, population size, and viability
·  Changes in timing of fish life history events / ·  Implement strategic monitoring; build from existing monitoring programs
·  Changes in habitat quantity and quality / ·  Implement habitat restoration projects that create diverse, resilient habitat
·  Increased erosion and sediment delivery to channels / ·  Consider adding large wood to small headwater channels to restore natural sediment routing
·  Increased thermal stress on cold-water-adapted fish species
·  Decreased fish numbers due to reductions in suitable habitat and productivity. / ·  Limit mortality associated with recreational fishing through time and area closures as necessary
·  Identify and protect cold water refugia
·  Decline in native fish populations due to increased competition from exotic species
·  Increased spread of aquatic invasive species / ·  Control spread of exotic species
·  Monitor to detect increases in invasive populations, and initiate control measures aggressively
·  Educate the public about measures to prevent the spread of invasive species
·  Focus habitat protection and restoration efforts on existing wild fish strongholds and streams that are less influenced by hatcheries
·  Decrease in area of headwater streams
·  Decrease in habitat quantity and connectivity for species that use headwater streams / ·  Continue to correct culvert fish passage barriers
·  Restore habitat in degraded headwater streams that are expected to retain adequate summer streamflow