Abstract
Netting surveys of lakes varying in pH (4.4–7.1) showed that lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations fail to recruit at pH <5.5 and are lost from lakes with pH<5.2. Brook trout (S. fontinalis) were extirpated in lakes with pH <5.0. In regional chemical surveys of Ontario lakes, it was found that 2% of sampled brook trout lakes and 2.5% of lake trout lakes were acidified (alkalinity <0 uEq L−1). Threshold pH levels determined from fisheries assessments were used to estimate that 1% of lake trout and brook trout populations have been lost due to acidification.
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Beggs, G.L., Gunn, J.M. Response of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and brook trout (S. fontinalis) to surface water acidification in Ontario. Water Air Soil Pollut 30, 711–717 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303336
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303336