Nell Libera PhD, Smol Lab Lake ecosystem impacts from the fur farming industry in Nova Scotia, Canada Residents and environmental managers in Nova Scotia (NS), Canada, have attributed mink fur farms as a possible source of nutrient pollution that is causing algal blooms in regional lakes. However, water quality monitoring was only initiated in 2008, decades after the advent (ca. 1930s) and expansion (ca. 1970s) of the fur industry in NS. Further, multiple anthropogenic stressors, including climate change, acidification, brownification, and other land-use changes are likely contributing to ecosystem change. We analyzed the sediment archives of regional lakes to document the impacts of multiple stressors, and to better understand the environmental impacts of fur farming in NS. Our analyses included a detailed water chemistry survey, bioindicator analyses (diatoms and Cladocera), stable isotopes, and spectroscopic inferences of whole-lake primary production and organic carbon. Our data clearly implicate fur farms as a source of nutrient pollution. The most severe eutrophication impacts occurred in lakes where farms were closest to the shoreline. Some lakes were more resilient to eutrophication due to high colour and trace metal concentrations. This information can be used to inform management efforts in this region and in other lake ecosystems impacted by multiple stressors.
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