History of Fish Presence and Absence Following Lake Acidification and Recovery in Lake Minnewaska, Shawangunk Ridge, NY

Abstract Lake acidification is a major problem in northeastern US lakes that can control fish presence or absence. We examined the history of fish populations in Lake Minnewaska, in eastern New York. We examined historical documents and found that Lake Minnewaska was fishless from 1922–2008 because of high lake-acidity. Following 30 years of recovery from acidic conditions, Notemigonus crysoleucas (Golden Shiner), a small minnow species, was introduced in 2008 and quickly proliferated, peaking at∼15,000 individuals in 2013. In 2012, the piscivorous species Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass) was introduced, and the minnow population was effectively removed by 2014. We present a conceptual model of the history of fish in Lake Minnewaska as fish disappeared and reappeared over 100 years as a consequence of acid rain and human introductions.

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