The relationship between salmonid fish densities and critical ANC at exceeded and non-exceeded stream sites in Scotland

Abstract

The critical load concept is now accepted throughout Europe as a means of estimating the sensitivity of key components of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems to atmospheric inputs of sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N). Current UK freshwater maps, based on steady-state water chemistry, are derived using a critical acid neutralising capacity (ANCLIM) value of zero μeql−1, which is based on the probability of occurrence of salmonid fish in lakes. In practice most acidification damage to salmonid fish occurs in nursery streams at the emergence and first feeding stages. In general a clear relationship exists between salmon (Salmo salar L.) and trout (S. trutta L.) densities in Scottish streams and ANC values. However, differences between sites depend on which ANC value is used (eg maximum, minimum or mean). By contrast, when the exceedance of critical loads is compared with salmonid densities the relationship is less clear because many exceeded sites have good salmonid densities. Many of these latter sites are found in north-west Scotland where sea-salt inputs are high and ANC is usually greater than zero μeql−1, although diatom-based studies indicated slight acidification of these waters, with a point of change in diatom flora close to ANC=20 μeql−1. These false exceedances are probably due to preferential adsorption of acidic SO4 deposition which results in an overestimate of exceedance values. All sites with a mean ANC ≤ 0 are fishless but some sites with negative minimum ANC values had normal salmonid densities. Consequently a mean ANCLIM value of zero in the critical load equations for UK freshwaters appears to be too low to protect salmonid stocks. Values between 20–50 μeql−1 represent a more realistic range if prevention of long term damage to salmonid stocks is to be achieved.