Fish and Acid Rain

In the Adirondacks, anglers visit to fish bass, trout, walleyes, salmon, pike, and muskie. Park managers do everything they can to support this ecotourism. In fact, they stock some species in order to entice prospective ecotourists. For example, the Tiger Muskellunge is a sterile fish that has been raised by the Department of Environmental Conservation since 1967. Each year, the DEC releases 75,000 Tiger Muskellunge. Clearly, fishing is an important industry in the Adirondacks.

Unfortunately, the health of aquatic ecosystems are threatened by many factors, including acid rain and associated toxins. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reports that 26% of Adirondack lakes cannot lower the acidity of the water to tolerable levels for aquatic life. Another 70% of lakes have the potential to become too acidic for life. The soil in the Adirondacks contain very little carbonate (or other basic stones), and therefore lacks any buffer capacity. As a result, acid precipitation infiltrates vulnerable waterways and leaches toxins such as aluminum and mercury out of the ground. These environmental consequences have threatened aquatic life and the ecotourism industry surrounding it.

In response to the environmental degradation taking place, New York State has taken several steps to decrease the emission of pollutants that cause acid rain. The Acid Deposition Reduction Program, a cap and trade program with transferable allowances for pollutants, rewards those who emit less as they can sell their unused pollutant allowances. The state is gradually reducing total allowances to limit pollutants that cause acid rain. Moreover, the state is encouraging residents to reduce their electrical and fossil fuel consumption.

Thankfully, this program has been a success so far evidenced by decreasing acidity. In fact, some lakes are gaining their ability to neutralize acids and aluminum in the water. Despite these recent improvements, it could take between 25 and 100 years for some lakes to recover. Plus, even after the lake environments return to normal, it could take even longer for wildlife to return. As a more immediate fix, park agents apply agricultural lime to temporarily raise the pH of the waters and improve the waterways ability to buffer acids. With time and continued reclamation efforts, Adirondack waterways will support aquatic life and a vital ecotourism industry.

“Acid Rain, Rain Go Away.” New York State Conservationist. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, April 2008. Web. 15 February 2016.

“Adirondacks Fishing.” Visit Adirondacks. Adirondack Regional Tourism Council, 2016. Web. 15 February 2016.