Columbus, OH The Ohio State University Climate Change Outreach Team will present “Climate Change Impacts on Fisheries in Lakes Michigan and Huron”? on Thursday, December 12, 2013. David “Bo”? Bunnell, Research Fishery Biologist at the US Geological Survey, will discuss whether we can detect climate signals in long-term data on fisheries and phytoplankton, preliminary climate forecasts for 2043-2065, and how future climate could influence growth and consumption of key fish species such as Chinook salmon, lake trout, yellow perch, and lake whitefish.
The webinar will be held on December 12 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Attendance is free, but registration is required to receive log-in information — visit greatlakesclimate.com/upcomingwebinar to sign up. A Q&A session with the presenter and other members of the research team from USGS and NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory will follow the presentation.
Great Lakes fishery managers and stakeholders have little information regarding how climate change could affect the management of recreationally and commercially important fisheries, which have been valued at more than $7 billion annually. Bunnell’s research has focused on how climate change could influence fish habitat (including water temperature, ice cover, and water levels), phytoplankton production, and ultimately fish production.
Certificates of attendance for professional development contact hours can be requested after the webinar; instructions will be provided during the session.
Trained as an Aquatic Ecologist, Dr. Bunnell is most interested in trophic interactions occurring between fish and their prey, particularly how these interactions are influenced by anthropogenic stressors, such as nonindigenous species and climate change. He is also interested in life history strategies and how these can evolve to influence the population dynamics of managed fish species. Within the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Bunnell is assigned to the Lake Michigan section, but has had the opportunity to collaborate on research questions across the Great Lakes basin.
The OSU Climate Change Outreach Team is a partnership among multiple departments within The Ohio State University, including OSU Extension, Ohio Sea Grant, the Department of Agricultural, Environmental & Development Economics, and the School of Environment & Natural Resources, to help localize the climate change issue by bringing research and resources to Ohioans and Great Lakes residents. More information about the team’s work is available at changingclimate.osu.edu.
Contact
Jill Jentes Banicki, Ohio Sea Grant, 614-292-8975, jentes.1@osu.edu