Summary
The extent of surface water acidification in Northern Europe and in Britain is reviewed and information is given on the degree to which changes in water quality appear to have influenced fish populations. The relationship between water quality and fish has been clarified by laboratory exposures, demonstrating that levels of calcium and aluminium, as well as acidity, are important for fish. It is not easy, however, to transpose laboratory findings to the field. Other determinants of a fishery should not be ignored — they include morphological and physical characteristics of lakes and streams, and biological characteristics such as food supply and species interactions.
The recovery or restoration of fisheries in acid waters is crucially dependent on replacement of calcium and reduction of aluminium to bring the water quality into a range suitable for fish. While reduction of sulphur emissions, or of the atmospheric deposition of all acid generating materials, may be expected to have some effect on lake sulphate concentrations, the degree to which acidity might be realistically reduced is quite uncertain.
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Dr. G. D. Howells was, until recently, Head of Biology at the Central Electricity Research Laboratories of the United Kingdom's Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). Her previous experience includes her first degree, obtained in New Zealand, a subsequent research degree from the University of Cambridge, and three years at the University of New York studying the effects of power station siting on the Hudson River. She has a wide experience of studying pollution problems. This paper was presented at the Institution of Environmental Sciences Conference,An Update on Acid Rain, November 1984, and is published by permission of the Central Electricity Generating Board.
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Howells, G.D. Acid surface waters: the prognosis for fish. Environmentalist 6, 15–23 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02240228
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02240228