Water quality requirement of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in water undergoing acidification or liming in Norway

Abstract

Atlantic salmon are severely affected by acidification in Norway. Water quality criteria for the salmon have to be based on the most sensitive stage, the smolt stage. The sensitivity to acidic water increases enormously during smolting, the seawater tolerance being especially vulnerable. Even moderately acidic water (pH about 6) with low inorganic monomeric aluminium (LA1) concentrations (<20μg. L⁻¹) and short-term episodes may be harmful. Mixing zones in limed or unlimed rivers may also represent a problem for seaward migrating smolts. In limed salmon rivers, the national liming goal has been increased to pH 6.5 during smolting (1 February to 1 July) and to 6.2 the rest of the year as a result of our experiments. In contrast to what has been found for brown trout, salmon strains originating from watercources undergoing acidification were not more tolerant than those from non-acidic watercourses. At the moment no such “tolerant” strains are available for restocking limed rivers in Norway.