Acid Deposition Long-Term Trends (1986) / Chapter Skim
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8. Fish Population Trends in Response to Surface Water Acidification
8. Fish Population Trends in Response to Surface Water Acidification
Pages 300-334
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From page 300... ...
. To demonstrate conclusively that fish population trends in a body of water are related to atmospheric acid deposition, temporal associations between surface water chemistry and fish populations are required It must be shown that the water body formerly supported a viable fish population, either self-sustaining or hatchery-maintained; that one or more fish species formerly present have been reduced or eliminated; that the water body is more acidic now than when f iSh were present and that the increased acid level was not caused by local factors; and that other adverse factors are either absent or unimportant.
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In this chapter I review available North American data sets that purport to relate fish population status or trends to acid deposition. LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS Laboratory experiments have confirmed that chemical parameters associated with acidification, such as pH, dissolved organic carbon, levels of aluminum, and calcium affect the survival of fish.
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302 D Cal C)
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SPATIAL ASSOC IATION S South Central Pennsylvania Personnel from the Institute for Research on Land and Water Resources, Pennsylvania State University, have conducted a number of studies in the Laurel Hill area of south central Pennsylvania. In one, researchers conducted a spatial association study in 61 streams on Laurel Hill (W.
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Reproducing cold water fishery present (3 FIGURE 8.1 Location and fish population status of 61 streams on Laurel Hill, south central Pennsylvania. Source: W
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Of the streams that contained reproducing fish populations, 10 contained only one species (brook trout) , 18 contained two species (brook trout plus mottled sculpin in 17, brook trout plus blacknose dace in 1)
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For this report I conducted a stepwise multipleregression analysis for physical and chemical factors that could potentially affect the number of fish species in these lakes. The variables considered were pH, specific conductance, color, sum of divalent cations (calcium and magnesium)
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conducted a spatial association survey of water chemistry and fish population in 22 lakes in Maine. The lakes were all low in color and contained no human habitation or other recent land disturbance in the watershed.
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Attempts to partition the variability among pH, divalent cations, and area were unsuccessful, apparently because of the high degree of correlation among these variables. Wisconsin Several authors have reported results of fish population and water chemistry surveys in northern Wisconsin lakes.
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correlated with lake pH, even after correction for differences in lake area. Explanations for declines in fish populations other than changes in water chemistry related to acid deposition have been ruled out (Altshuller and Linthurst 1984)
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recently completed an exhaustive analysis of all available water chemistry and fish population status data for Adirondack lakes. To evaluate changes in fish population status over time they developed semiquantitative indicators of population status that incorporate the uncertainties associated with varying sampling techniques.
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evaluating possible explanations for observed population declines or losses, and (3) analyzing statistical associations between decline or loss of fish populations and chemical factors related to acidity.
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. Measurements of water chemistry and observations of fish population status have been made for these lakes, which have been cored for analysis of sediment diatoms and trace elements.
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rl I I I I (8) 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 FISH COMMUNITY STATUS FIGURE 8.2 (Opposite)
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All species or the majority of species have disappeared. Any species left (e.g., brown bullhead, yellow perch)
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Woodhull Lake chemistry is ambiguous, but the fish population may be experiencing acid stress as demonstrated by the disappearance of smallmouth bass and a recent decline in lake trout abundance. However, brook trout also disappeared, which cannot be attributed to acidification, lake whitefish are still present, and declines in lake trout abundance may reflect changes in hatchery introductions.
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Fish population eradicated in 195 1 and restocked: no changes in fish survival. Lake trout became rare and emaciated in early 1950s, last collected in 1954: brook trout declined in mid-1960s and were rare by the mid- 1 970s.
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. South Central Pennsylvania An intensive study of precipitation chemistry, stream chemistry, and fish populations was conducted during February 1981, on four streams in the Laurel Hill, Pennsylvania, area, three of which were included in the survey discussed in the section of this chapter on spatial associations (Sharpe et al.
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over time for four streams on Laurel Hill, south central Pennsylvania. Source: Sharpe et al.
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North Central Massachusetts A temporal association study of water chemistry and fish species distribution was conducted in tributaries to the Millers River, Massachusetts (Figure 8.5)
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322 ._ Cal .~ o U
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323 a .= Cot U3 o o ._ , oo oo oo oo Cot Do Ct V)
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324 Us Cal U
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, and containing primarily warm-water fish species. Nevertheless, pH apparently has declined and fish communities have been lost in these streams.
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326 oqleH sanest ably ~U! N qruoos!
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The remaining data sets consist largely of spatial associations of surface water chemistry and fish populations, supported in some cases by temporal association data or field experiments. Data from Pennsylvania streams, Vermont lakes, and Maine lakes demonstrate that fish population status is related to present water chemistry.
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. Analysis of brook trout from a series of remote lakes of varying pH in northern New England failed to detect significant organochlorine residues in any fish (Haines 1983)
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1985. Critique of acid lakes and fish population status in the Adirondack region of New York State.
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1976. Histopathologic changes in surficial tissues of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill)
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1983. Organochlorine residues in brook trout from remote lakes in the northeastern United States.
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1976. Chronic effects of reduced pH on brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
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1965. Water quality in relation to survival of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill)
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1978. Genetic and environmental factors involved in increased resistance of brook trout to sulfuric acid solution and mine acid polluted waters.
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