JACKSON, Wyo. — The University of Wyoming Extension published a report this week highlighting the uncertainties that fishing tourism in Teton County could face in a changing climate.
According to the report, which summarized a survey completed between Aug. 2022 and Aug. 2023, outdoor recreation and tourism accounted for roughly 4% of the state’s GDP in 2021. In Teton County alone, visitors spent $1.7 billion in 2022, while supporting nearly 8,000 jobs. Angler trips, a subset of tourism, generate millions of dollars for Teton County each year.
Teton County is located in the headwaters of the Snake River Basin, and many anglers’ top priority is catching Yellowstone cutthroat trout. The report outlines other aspects of fishing trips that are important to tourists, and describes three future climate scenarios that could impact visitor numbers and spending. The report states that while it is unknown which, if any, climate scenario could occur, the survey results serve to inform and prepare decision-makers for different possible futures.
“The way I think about it is adapting to create an experience that is still attractive to a lot of anglers, even given changes that may come to pass,” said Patrick Hofstedt, lead author of the publication.
The first climate scenario posed by the researchers is the “shrinking snowpack,” in which the snowpack will decrease over the coming decades, impacting water temperatures and the time when runoff occurs. The second scenario, the “warm refuge,” projects that the Snake River headwaters will be less impacted by climate change than other popular recreation destinations, leading to increased tourism. The “hot and smoky” scenario imagines more wildfires and increasing temperatures. The aspects of a Snake River fishing trip that could change in response to these scenarios include: number of fish caught, fish species in waterways, presence of wildfire smoke, crowding, access to fishing spots and cost.
Out of 323 survey responses (details on how surveys were collected are included in the report), 81 were by Wyoming residents and 242 were by out-of-state residents. The average annual income of respondents was $242,015. The average response when asked to self-rate angling skills was 3.46 out of 5. Respondents were then asked to rank the importance of different aspects of a Snake River angling trip on a scale of 1 to 4. Results are shown below.
After running different analyses of respondents, two groups emerged: “nature lovers” and “friendly neighbors.” In general, the nature lovers were less likely to take trips close to home; more interested in avoiding smoke and other anglers; less likely to care about easily accessible fishing spots; and less likely to be Wyoming residents. The friendly neighbors generally preferred to take trips close to home; were less likely to care about avoiding wildfires and other anglers; were more interested in easy access to fishing sites; and more likely to be Wyoming residents. The nature lovers group spent approximately $500 more per fishing trip than the friendly neighbors, and also spent more on travel and lodging.
“These preferences reflect that nature lovers tended to be non-resident anglers with higher incomes who traveled greater distances for the experience of fishing for Snake River fish, particularly cutthroat trout,” the report states.
The results of the survey indicate that in the “hot and smoky” climate scenario, nature lovers would take 12.6% fewer fishing trips and reduce spending by $7 million. In the “warm refuge” scenario, they would cut vacations by 11% and spend $6 million less. Overall, the friendly neighbors appeared to be more adaptable to change, and more likely to return to the area even if the quality of fishing trips decreased.
Both groups, however, are predicted to take fewer trips if the population of Yellowstone cutthroats decline. Fewer cutthroat trout is primarily a projected result of the “shrinking snowpack” scenario.
A key takeaway from the report is that the “hot and smoky” future could cause the highest losses to the angler tourism industry in Teton County. More wildfire smoke would lead to fewer angler trips in the area. Researchers suggested that, in other scenarios, any infrastructure expansions to mitigate crowding and increase access to fishing spots could alienate “nature lovers,” who value isolation. And finally, the study advises that efforts to maintain the populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout should continue at current levels or increase. Managing a healthy trout population could stave off losses that occur due to other climate conditions, including an increase in wildfires.
“Future work will quantify the economic value of the Snake River cutthroat trout fishery,” the report concludes, “to better understand tradeoffs between Idaho agricultural and Wyoming recreation uses of Snake River water.”
