The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program will assess the impacts that wetland restoration can have on removal of phosphorus and nitrogen, key nutrients that fuel eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, across Ohio. The ODNR-implemented wetland projects that are part of the H2Ohio Initiative represent a wide range of wetland types, construction approaches, and complexity.

To improve wetland restoration design and management into the future, it’s necessary to understand the processes happening within wetlands. This comprehensive approach to determining not only whether a wetland is effective, but also how the wetland systems work and how to better design and manage wetlands for nutrient removal, is led by scientists from throughout Ohio with expertise in wetland ecology, nutrient biogeochemistry, hydrology, plant sampling and identification, soil science, data synthesis and analysis.

Join the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative and Ohio Sea Grant for a webinar about identifying fish health problems, what you can do on the farm to prevent and treat problems, and when to ask for help from a vet or diagnostics lab!

Expected audience includes fish producers and community members. Participants within the Great Lakes region are especially encouraged to attend, but all are welcome!

Our speakers will help you determine when a problem is beyond you and it’s time to ask for help! Join us for a series of short presentations followed by a question-and-answer session with our panelists.

Webinar Resources

Video tour of Ripple Rock Fish Farms as part of Great Lakes Aquaculture Days 2021

Join the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative and Ohio Sea Grant for a webinar about resources for Great Lakes fish and a demonstration of how to dress, prepare, and cook fish at home!

Preparing fish at home may seem intimidating, but you can do it! Seafood is an important and nutritious source of protein we can all benefit from in our diets. This webinar will show you how to choose, prepare (from whole to fillet), and cook fish so you can take advantage of great fish in the Great Lakes. You’ll also learn about resources to find the freshest fish from commercial fisheries and fish farms in the region.

Webinar Resources

Ohio Sea Grant education expands Lake Erie knowledge across the region through professional learning opportunities and curriculum lessons. Read about how educators have applied what they learned at Stone Lab and elsewhere in this issue of Twine Line.

• By The Numbers
• Taking Care of Business: Ohio Sea Grant Extension helps local governments support business communities
• Something for All Ages: Stone Lab tours bring science and knowledge to South Bass Island visitors
• To the Birds: Ohio Lake Erie Birding Trail Guide
• Climate Team: Collaborative effort brings climate curriculum to region
• Power Up: Solar energy powers Stone Lab education curriculum
• Social Media Highlights
• Student Spotlight: Anthony Tambini
• On the Island: Stone Lab events
• @ Stone Lab: Real-world perspective

Research Brief
Invasive Species Management and Research: Are we working at the same scales?
Dr. Jonathan Bossenbroek, Professor of Ecology, The University of Toledo

Guest Lecture
Fish Management in the 21st Century
Rich Carter, Executive Administrator, Fish Management Group, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife

Twine Line Winter/Spring 2018. Twine Line gets ready for summer. Learn how travel benefits our state and the ways that research at Stone Lab is improving the quality of our drinking water, plus lots more in this issue of Twine Line.

Report explaining the dangers, history, and status of Asian Carp in the Great Lakes, and it provides materials and contact info for those seeking more information or to educate others on Asian Carp.

The Cuyahoga River isn’t at risk of catching fire anymore, but that doesn’t mean it’s in great shape either. The Cuyahoga River is a designated Area of Concern. This fact sheet explains what that means, and what’s being done to fix it.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) degrade water quality of western Lake Erie and create negative economic impacts on an annual basis. Public health is at the forefront of concern because these blooms are often toxic due to an abundance of Microcystis. This genus of cyanobacteria produces the toxin microcystin, which causes gastrointestinal illnesses, damages the liver, and is capable of promoting tumors or death of animals (Poste et al 2011). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set values for microcystin in drinking water, recreational contact, and total daily consumption, but no standards exist for concentrations of microcystin in food. Because microcystin can accumulate in fish tissues, and fishing and fish consumption are important economic and cultural practices in Lake Erie, there is a potential health risk to humans via consumption of fish inhabiting waters with high concentrations of microcystin. Walleye is one of the most significant sportfish of Lake Erie, and a previous study found this species can have greater microcystin concentrations than yellow perch and white perch studied in the same time period (Wituszynski 2014). For these reasons, this study quantified microcystin levels in walleye tissue using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared to public health thresholds used by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Samples were harvested at different times and from locations in attempt to understand the seasonal correlation between bloom intensity and microcystin concentration, and impacts of variations in bloom intensity at different locations. The effects of chronic exposure of fish to microcystin has not been widely studied for Lake Erie, and no studies presently exist which have examined year-to-year variation in microcystin content in fish. Thus, by comparing this study to a similar study conducted in 2013 (Wituszynski 2014), we can aid in identifying correlation between annual variation in HABS, determine if previous exposure has an effect on accumulation in fish, and understand when microcystin concentrations in fish tissues may be at its peak when compared to HAB intensity.

ABSTRACT:

The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, is an invasive benthic fish species in the Laurentian Great Lakes that is threatening native fish populations through competition, predation, and trophic dynamic change. This study examined the trophic dynamic plasticity of round goby along a depth gradient based on laboratory and field observations to determine prey species consumed and mussel prey size selection. Prey size selection in the laboratory was assessed by presenting individual round goby with quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) of various class sizes (i.e., 6.0–9.9 mm, 10.0–12.9 mm, 13.0–15.9 mm, and 16.0–18.9 mm in length). Round goby exhibited a selection preference for small sized quagga mussels, although in individual trial events, mussels were consumed from all four size classes. Prey species consumed from shallow and deep sites in the western basin of Lake Erie were assessed using individual gut contents to calculate measures of prey importance, diversity, and dominance. Based on the Index of Relative Importance (IRI), Cladocera was found to be the most consumed prey item for both males and females and between study sites. Both sexes consumed a variety of prey items although females exhibited greater prey dominance or reliance on one prey item. Round goby individuals at the shallow, natural shoreline site had the highest trophic diversity, while individuals at the deep site exhibited the highest prey dominance. Diet of round goby in the western basin of Lake Erie are mainly dominated by just a few prey items.

ABSTRACT:

Conserving genetic diversity and local adaptations are management priorities for wild populations of exploited species, which increasingly are subject to climate change, habitat loss, and pollution. These constitute growing concerns for the walleye Sander vitreus, an ecologically and economically valuable North American temperate fish with large Laurentian Great Lakes’ fisheries. This study compares genetic diversity and divergence patterns across its widespread native range using mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region sequences and nine nuclear DNA microsatellite (μsat) loci, examining historic and contemporary influences. We analyze the genetic and morphological characters of a putative endemic variant– “blue pike” S. v. “glaucus” –described from Lakes Erie and Ontario, which became extinct. Walleye with turquoise-colored mucus also are evaluated, since some have questioned whether these are related to the “blue pike”.