Acidification Reduction
Years of acid rain, heavy timber harvest, and degradation of riparian zones have all contributed to the acidification of our waters.
This is a serious issue that is not easily turned around. The changes these activities make in the pH of our water systems are compounded by the lack of buffering chemicals found in our thin soil and silica-rich bedrock composition in Downeast Maine. A more acidic stream can have impacts on fish directly by affecting their gill function as metals are extracted from soil and rocks and accumulate on the gills.
There is also a decrease in lower trophic level productivity as many important macroinvertebrates also struggle in a low pH environment. This decrease in productivity can cause bottom-up trophic cascades affecting species along all levels of the trophic ladder. A decrease in pH has serious consequences for not only Atlantic salmon, but many other fish species and macroinvertebrates alike.