T. Ytrestoyl et al., Swimming performance and blood chemistry in Atlantic salmon spawners exposed to acid river water with elevated aluminium concentrations, J FISH BIOL, 58(4), 2001, pp. 1025-1038
Exposure of sexually mature pre-spawning Atlantic: salmon Salmo salar to Fo
ssbekk water (pH 5.2) for 7 days led to a significant reduction in critical
swimming speed (U-crit) in females but not in males: Exposure to Fossbekk
water +Al (as AlCl3) for 24 h led to a significant reduction in U-crit in b
oth males and females. In contrast to fish exposed for 7 days to Fossbekk w
ater, fish exposed to Fossbekk + Al had accumulated much more aluminium and
mucus on their gills. Losses or plasma ions were similar in both groups ex
posed to acid water. Blood glucose was twice as high in fish exposed to Fos
sbekk water for 7 days compared with fish exposed to Fossbekk + Al for 74 h
. Plasma cortisol was: still elevated compared with controls after exposure
to Fossbekk water for 7 days. Possible mechanisms for the observed decreas
e in U-crit at the: different exposures are discussed. (C) 2001 The Fisheri
es Society of the British Isles.