In the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastation in September 2024, the Southern Appalachian brook trout faces intensified threats from climate change in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Anglers and scientists are working to protect this native species, which has lost 80 percent of its range since 1900. The fish's decline signals broader risks to regional ecosystems and economies tied to trout fishing.
On a summer day in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Thomas Champeau, a former biologist with Trout Unlimited, waded into Yellowstone Prong along the Blue Ridge Parkway, seeking the elusive Southern Appalachian brook trout. The landscape still shows scars from Hurricane Helene, which struck in September 2024, dumping up to 30 inches of rain and displacing 7 million cubic yards of debris. "Rocks bigger than a refrigerator have been pushed around," Champeau noted, as floods eroded streambanks and disrupted trout habitats.
This native fish, evolved in isolation since the Ice Age from Georgia to southern Virginia, thrives in cold, shaded streams no warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Measuring 6 to 8 inches, it acts as a keystone species and bellwether for waterway health. Yet, over a century of logging, development, and competition from introduced brown and rainbow trout has reduced its range by 80 percent. In Shenandoah National Park, populations dropped 50 percent across 90 streams in three decades, vanishing entirely in at least three. A mere 2.7-degree Fahrenheit temperature rise could eliminate another 20 percent of habitat.
Helene's floods likely washed brook trout from spawning pools, compounding climate threats like warmer, low-oxygen waters. "When it comes to climate change, sometimes it’s going to be a death by a thousand cuts," Champeau said. Fishing guide Mitch Carter, sidelined by the storm, called protection an "emotional thing," noting, "The native brook trout was the first trout I ever caught... an 8-inch brook trout doesn’t sell licenses."
The industry supports Western North Carolina with $1.4 billion annually, though brook trout evoke deep cultural ties. Shop owner Kevin Howell, whose Davidson River Outfitters became a recovery hub post-Helene, lost fall business and worries reintroduction efforts fail against aggressive nonnatives. "We had to make the decision today to stop fishing at noon because in the afternoons it’s getting to 68 degrees already in June," he said.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians protects 10 miles of high-elevation streams on tribal land, viewing rivers as sacred. Director Mike LaVoie said, "Cherokee have always viewed the river as a long person." Their fishing economy generates $93 million yearly from 45,000 visitors. Biologists like Jacob Rash from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission conduct electrofishing surveys, finding resilient brook trout amid nonnatives. "I never stop being amazed at what these fish can do," Rash said, as crews track long-term impacts and restore habitats through traditional practices like controlled burns.