 Many species of freshwater and saltwater plants and animals are dependent on glacier @-@ fed waters to ensure the cold water habitat to which they have adapted . Some species of freshwater fish need cold water to survive and to reproduce , and this is especially true with salmon and cutthroat trout . Reduced glacial runoff can lead to insufficient stream flow to allow these species to thrive . Alterations to the ocean currents , due to increased freshwater inputs from glacier melt , and the potential alterations to thermohaline circulation of the World Ocean , may affect existing fisheries upon which humans depend as well . 
