Freshwater Science: Evaluating Interventions for Harmful Algal Blooms in Grand Lake St. Mary’s

Alum application is sometimes used to treat or prevent harmful algal blooms in inland lakes such as Ohio’s Grand Lake St. Mary’s, which experiences severe harmful algal blooms similar to Lake Erie’s western basin. But a 2021 Wright State University study suggests that the benefits, if any, of alum application and other interventions are short-lived.

Dr. Mark McCarthy, who led the project, suggests that climate change and external nitrogen inputs play a larger role in the persistence and severity of algal blooms in these lakes.

What is Ohio Sea Grant?

What is Ohio Sea Grant?

What is Stone Laboratory?

What is Stone Laboratory?

Why Stone Lab? Promo Video

Why Stone Lab? Promo Video

Freshwater Science: The Value of Lake Erie Beaches

Beach visits play an important role in Ohio’s $17 billion Lake Erie tourism industry, but water quality issues like harmful algal blooms and E. coli outbreaks can negatively affect beachgoers and discourage them from returning to a favorite spot. The economic impact of these water quality issues is not well understood yet, but estimates of this reduced economic welfare from 2019 are as high as $5.8 million.

Dr. Brent Sohngen at The Ohio State University is working on determining the value of Lake Erie beaches to the state’s overall economy, and how that value is affected when water quality issues like harmful algal blooms occur.

Event Archive

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Aquaculture

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Aquaculture with Nicole Wright

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Coastal Business Development

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Coastal Business Development with Joe Lucente

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Marine Debris

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Marine Debris with Jill Bartolotta

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Fish, Fisheries and Invasive Species

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Fish, Fisheries and Invasive Species with Tory Gabriel

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Ohio Clean Marinas and Clean Boater Programs

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Ohio Clean Marinas and Clean Boater Programs with Sarah Orlando

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: What is Extension?

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: What is Extension? with Extension leader Tory Gabriel

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Coastal Development

Ohio Sea Grant Extension: Coastal Development with Dr. Scott Hardy

Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative Research Roundup: Regional Findings and Insights

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) proposed to build on existing research and identify and implement new research focused on overcoming barriers to aquaculture in the Great Lakes region from its beginning in 2019. Several research projects aimed to provide economic and marketing research to increase the profitability and sustainability of aquaculture businesses.

Full Event Archive

Freshwater Science: Monitoring New Contaminants in Public Drinking Water Sources

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), including antibiotics, are emerging contaminants in water that are not completely eliminated during water treatment. Because these compounds can affect human and wildlife health, it’s important to assess their presence in drinking and wastewater.

Dr. Jen Mou and Dr. Laura Leff at Kent State University are developing new methods to detect these compounds, to help guide approaches for dealing with contaminants like them in the future. The team also wants to determine if the presence of a bacterial gene that codes for antibiotic resistance can predict levels of antibiotic contamination in water samples.

Event Archive

Student Spotlight: MK Rinderle

MK Rinderle is senior environmental science major at The Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources. In 2022, she spent the summer at Stone Lab as part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Fellowship Program.

The program allowed her to completely focus on her research and expand what she learned on Ohio State’s Columbus campus to a larger lab setting. MK completed water quality research with Dr. Justin Chaffin, studying harmful algal blooms using some of Stone Lab’s new mesocosms, which are large tanks of lake water that mimic the natural environment better than smaller bottle experiments. The data they collected in those experiments will help Great Lakes researchers continue to address Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms and provide safe drinking water for millions of people living near the lake.

Stone Lab's Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellowship Program

MK Rinderle is senior environmental science major at The Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources. In 2022, she spent the summer at Stone Lab as part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Fellowship Program.

The program allowed her to completely focus on her research and expand what she learned on Ohio State’s Columbus campus to a larger lab setting. MK completed water quality research with Dr. Justin Chaffin, studying harmful algal blooms using some of Stone Lab’s new mesocosms, which are large tanks of lake water that mimic the natural environment better than smaller bottle experiments. The data they collected in those experiments will help Great Lakes researchers continue to address Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms and provide safe drinking water for millions of people living near the lake.

Freshwater Science: Why Environmentally Conscious Shoppers Don’t Bring Reusable Bags

Single-use plastic bags are everywhere in society, but despite their convenience, they can have negative impacts on the environment and on waste management.

Farmers markets seem like a logical place to encourage the use of reusable bags, but when Jill Bartolotta and Dr. Scott Hardy at Ohio Sea Grant examined the effects of giving out free reusable bags at Ohio farmers markets, they found that just having bags available is not an effective approach to reducing the use of plastic bags. Instead, communities should consider focused approaches like bag bans and education and outreach strategies, as well as financial and policy incentives.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science: A Toxin Forecast for Lake Erie’s Harmful Algal Blooms

Scientists are currently able to accurately forecast the size and approximate location of Lake Erie’s summer harmful algal blooms, but they still have questions about what controls when blooms become toxic, and how to predict which algal toxins the bloom is likely to produce.

Dr. Justin Chaffin at Ohio State’s Stone Lab is studying the environmental factors that cause Lake Erie algal blooms to become toxic or remain non-toxic, to provide more guidance to water utilities on when they should plan to treat drinking water for algal toxins.

Event Archive

Understanding Algal Blooms: State of the Science Conference 2022

The Understanding Algal Blooms: State of the Science Conference will highlight current scientific knowledge related to algal blooms.

Event Archive

Stone Laboratory REU Spotlight: Emma Land

A video spotlighting Emma Land, one of Stone Lab’s Research Experience for Undergraduates from Summer 2022.

2022 Semester at Stone Laboratory

A video about a student’s experience within Stone Lab’s Semester at Stone Lab program, where Ohio State School of Environment and Natural Resources students take an entire summer of courses.

Freshwater Science: Lake Erie Algae in the Depth of Winter

Although harmful algal blooms happen in the summer, the algae themselves are year-round residents of the water bodies they inhabit – but very little is known about other times in the annual cycle of blooms. For Lake Erie, ice cover and extreme weather conditions in winter and spring prevent regular monitoring and safe sampling.

By partnering with the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards, Dr. Mike McKay at the University of Windsor can take advantage of those ships’ ice-breaking capabilities to sample offshore waters in winter and early spring, before state and federal agencies start their monitoring efforts.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science: Using Bacteria to Remove Microcystin from Drinking Water

Many Ohio communities draw their drinking water from Lake Erie, so making sure that any harmful algal bloom toxins are removed before the water reaches consumers is essential to maintaining public health.

While water treatment plants currently use activated carbon, ozonation, and other methods to treat for algal toxins, Dr. Jason Huntley at The University of Toledo, with previous funding from the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative and current funding from NOAA-PCMHAB is developing new cost-effective, efficient, and safe methods to remove algal toxins from drinking water, using bacteria that naturally break down microcystin toxin into non-toxic component parts. The team was issued a patent on this technology in May 2021.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science Teaser: A Toxin Forecast for Lake Erie’s Harmful Algal Blooms

Scientists are currently able to accurately forecast the size and approximate location of Lake Erie’s summer harmful algal blooms, but they still have questions about what controls when blooms become toxic, and how to predict which algal toxins the bloom is likely to produce.

Dr. Justin Chaffin at Ohio State’s Stone Lab is studying the environmental factors that cause Lake Erie algal blooms to become toxic or remain non-toxic, to provide more guidance to water utilities on when they should plan to treat drinking water for algal toxins.

Forecast for Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie 2022

Stone Laboratory and Ohio Sea Grant at The Ohio State University hosted a live web event for NOAA’s annual HABs Forecast for western Lake Erie on June 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. In addition to the official forecast, the event featured spring nutrient loading and projections along with expert commentary and highlights of recent research efforts and successes.

Event archive

Freshwater Science: Can Walleye See the Bait on the Hook?

Walleye fishing in Ohio significantly contributes to the state’s $1.9 billion sportfishing industry, but the fish are experiencing significant changes to their environment due to harmful algal blooms. For these visual hunters, those changes affect finding food and mates, and anglers who fish for walleye may have to change their approach to selecting lures.

Dr. Suzanne Gray at The Ohio State University is linking walleye vision, murky waters from harmful algal blooms and lure colors to determine the impacts algal blooms can have on visual hunters like walleye and on the success of Lake Erie’s sportfishing industry.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science Teaser: Lake Erie Algae in the Depth of Winter

Although harmful algal blooms happen in the summer, the algae themselves are year-round residents of the water bodies they inhabit – but very little is known about other times in the annual cycle of blooms. For Lake Erie, ice cover and extreme weather conditions in winter and spring prevent regular monitoring and safe sampling.

By partnering with the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards, Dr. Mike McKay at the University of Windsor can take advantage of those ships’ ice-breaking capabilities to sample offshore waters in winter and early spring, before state and federal agencies start their monitoring efforts.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science Teaser: The Value of Lake Erie Beaches

Beach visits play an important role in Ohio’s $15 billion tourism industry, but water quality issues like harmful algal blooms and E. coli outbreaks can negatively affect beachgoers and discourage them from returning to a favorite spot. The economic impact of these water quality issues is not well understood yet, but estimates of this reduced economic welfare from 2019 are as high as $5.8 million.

Dr. Brent Sohngen at The Ohio State University is working on determining the value of Lake Erie beaches to the state’s overall economy, and how that value is affected when water quality issues like harmful algal blooms occur.

Freshwater Science Teaser: Monitoring New Contaminants in Public Drinking Water Sources

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), including antibiotics, are emerging contaminants in water that are not completely eliminated during water treatment. Because these compounds can affect human and wildlife health, it’s important to assess their presence in drinking and wastewater.

Dr. Jen Mou at Kent State University is developing new methods to detect these compounds, to help guide approaches for dealing with contaminants like them in the future. The team also wants to determine if the presence of a bacterial gene that codes for antibiotic resistance can predict levels of antibiotic contamination in water samples.

Freshwater Science Teaser: Why Environmentally Conscious Shoppers Don’t Bring Reusable Bags

Single-use plastic bags are everywhere in society, but despite their convenience, they can have negative impacts on the environment and on waste management. Farmers markets seem like a logical place to encourage the use of reusable bags, but when Jill Bartolotta and Dr. Scott Hardy from Ohio Sea Grant examined the effects of giving out free reusable bags at the Ohio farmers markets, they found that just having bags available is not an effective approach to reducing the use of plastic bags. Instead, communities should consider focused approaches like bag bans and education and outreach strategies, as well as financial and policy incentives.

Freshwater Science Teaser: Using Bacteria to Remove Microcystin from Drinking Water

Many Ohio communities draw their drinking water from Lake Erie, so making sure that any harmful algal bloom toxins are removed before the water reaches consumers is essential to maintaining public health.

While water treatment plants currently use activated carbon, ozonation, and other methods to treat for algal toxins, Dr. Jason Huntley at The University of Toledo, with funding from the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative is developing new cost-effective, efficient, and safe methods to remove algal toxins from drinking water, using bacteria that naturally break down microcystin toxin into non-toxic component parts. The team was issued a patent on this technology in May 2021.

Event Archive

Ornamental Aquaculture

An interview with Todd Melman, Reef Systems Coral Farm in Albany, Ohio.

Included in the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative webinar Finding Fish for Food or Fun: Exploring the Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder on May 26, 2022.

Explore the Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder
Video produced by Ohio Sea Grant
Music from bensound.com

Finding Fish for Food or Fun: Exploring the Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder

Freshwater Science: Fungal-Like Disease Detection in Aquaculture Operations

Aquaculture is a growing industry in Ohio and the Great Lakes region, providing farm-raised seafood ranging from crawfish to walleye. And just like land-based farms, fish farmers spend a lot of time making sure their animals are healthy.

Dr. Vipa Phuntumart and her team at Bowling Green State University have developed a method to detect Saprolegnia, a fungal-like pathogen that can result in an estimated loss of $40 million to U.S. aquaculture operations every year, in water samples from fish farms. This way, the fish can be treated with eco-friendly options before they show symptoms.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science Teaser: Fungal-Like Disease Detection in Aquaculture Operations

Aquaculture is a growing industry in Ohio and the Great Lakes region, providing farm-raised seafood ranging from crawfish to walleye. And just like land-based farms, fish farmers spend a lot of time making sure their animals are healthy.

Dr. Vipa Phuntumart and her team at Bowling Green State University have developed a method to detect Saprolegnia, a fungal-like pathogen that can result in an estimated loss of $40 million to U.S. aquaculture operations every year, in water samples from fish farms. This way, the fish can be treated with eco-friendly options before they show symptoms.

Event Archive
 

Freshwater Science: Using Genetics to Manage Lake Erie Walleye Fisheries

Walleye is an important Lake Erie species, supporting both commercial and recreational fisheries. Management agencies need ways to identify how local spawning populations contribute to the lake-wide fish population, so they can continue to keep Lake Erie’s walleye fisheries naturally reproducing and sustainable.

Dr. Stuart Ludsin at The Ohio State University has developed a genetic tool that can differentiate between walleye from the eastern versus western basins of Lake Erie and successfully helped agencies to better understand the contributions of different spawning locations to the eastern basin’s commercial and recreational fisheries.

Event Archive
 

Freshwater Science Teaser: Using Genetics to Manage Lake Erie Walleye Fisheries

Walleye is an important Lake Erie species, supporting both commercial and recreational fisheries. Management agencies need ways to identify how local spawning populations contribute to the lake-wide fish population, so they can continue to keep Lake Erie’s walleye fisheries naturally reproducing and sustainable.

Dr. Stuart Ludsin, with funding from the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, has developed a genetic tool that can differentiate between walleye from the eastern versus western basins of Lake Erie and successfully helped agencies to better understand the contributions of different spawning locations to the eastern basin’s commercial and recreational fisheries.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science Trailer: Using Genetics to Manage Lake Erie Walleye Fisheries

Walleye is an important Lake Erie species, supporting both commercial and recreational fisheries. Management agencies need ways to identify how local spawning populations contribute to the lake-wide fish population, so they can continue to keep Lake Erie’s walleye fisheries naturally reproducing and sustainable.

Dr. Stuart Ludsin, with funding from the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, has developed a genetic tool that can differentiate between walleye from the eastern versus western basins of Lake Erie and successfully helped agencies to better understand the contributions of different spawning locations to the eastern basin’s commercial and recreational fisheries.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science: Health Impacts of Algal Toxins in the Context of Chronic Illnesses

Algal toxins affect the liver, gastrointestinal system and kidneys, and may have a more severe effect in the context of pre-existing conditions.

Dr. David Kennedy and Dr. Steven Haller at The University of Toledo, with funding from Ohio Sea Grant and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, are examining these effects to help provide new guidelines for safe exposure levels to algal toxins for people with chronic illnesses. They also aim to develop new tests that can measure toxin exposure at very low levels, which can suppress common liver injury markers in some patients, and to create therapies to treat the organ damage caused by algal toxins.

Event Archive

Freshwater Science Teaser: Health Impacts of Algal Toxins in the Context of Chronic Illnesses

Algal toxins affect the liver, gastrointestinal system and kidneys, and may have a more severe effect in the context of pre-existing conditions.

Dr. David Kennedy and Dr. Steven Haller at The University of Toledo, with funding from Ohio Sea Grant and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, are examining these effects to help provide new guidelines for safe exposure levels to algal toxins for people with chronic illnesses. They also aim to develop new tests that can measure toxin exposure at very low levels, which can suppress common liver injury markers in some patients, and to create therapies to treat the organ damage caused by algal toxins.

Webinar Archive

Virtual Ohio Charter Captains Conference 2022

Please join us online for the 2022 Ohio Charter Captains Conference! We have a great list of speakers that will help you prepare for the upcoming season by providing updates about Lake Erie’s 2022 fishing outlook, fish behavior, and agency news and regulations.

While this conference is designed for captains, anyone interested in Ohio’s Lake Erie charter fishing industry is welcome to join.

Event Archive

Ohio Marinas Conference 2022 Slideshow

Ohio Marinas Conference 2022 Slideshow

Event Archive

Freshwater Science: Stopping Algal Bloom Toxins at the Kitchen Tap

Harmful algal bloom toxins are a common concern for people living along the Lake Erie shoreline, where drinking water is often drawn from the lake.

In addition to removing these toxins during water treatment, Ohioans may have another tool at their disposal: Dr. Glenn Lipscomb’s research, funded by the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, has shown that reverse osmosis membranes, an essential component of home water purification systems, can remove algal toxins from drinking water. The mechanism by which toxins are removed will be discussed along with tests for commercially available units.

Freshwater Science: Removing Algal Toxins from Drinking Water with Activated Carbon

During harmful algal bloom season, algal toxins can be common in drinking water drawn from Lake Erie. Water treatment plants are well set up to manage this issue for their customers, and often use powdered activated carbon to remove toxins, but they lack data on proper dosage depending on toxin types, toxin concentration and water properties.

Dr. John Lenhart, with funding from Ohio Sea Grant and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, is developing these guidelines and sharing them with water treatment plant operators along the Lake Erie shoreline to help reduce the cost of safe drinking water.

Freshwater Science Trailer: Removing Algal Toxins from Drinking Water with Activated Carbon

During harmful algal bloom season, algal toxins can be common in drinking water drawn from Lake Erie. Water treatment plants are well set up to manage this issue for their customers, and often use powdered activated carbon to remove toxins, but they lack data on proper dosage depending on toxin types, toxin concentration and water properties.

Dr. John Lenhart, with funding from Ohio Sea Grant and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, is developing these guidelines and sharing them with water treatment plant operators along the Lake Erie shoreline to help reduce the cost of safe drinking water.

A half-hour webinar on the same topic is also available.

Freshwater Science Teaser: Removing Algal Toxins from Drinking Water with Activated Carbon

Freshwater Science Teaser: Removing Algal Toxins from Drinking Water with Activated Carbon

Fishy Finances: Tips for Funding Your Fish Farm

Join the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative and Ohio Sea Grant for a free webinar to learn about grant and loan financing options for aspiring and experienced fish farmers.

A common hurdle for small to mid-sized fish farms is financing the operation. Have no fear, the GLAC team is here to help! Join us with a panel of experts to discuss your options, whether you are a potential producer looking for start-up capital or an experienced producer looking to expand or improve your operation.

Our expert panelists will discuss:

• Grant programs for existing farmers to answer pressing questions and improve technologies and sustainability
• Financing for new operations or expanding existing operations
• Federal funding opportunities to start or enhance operations

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

H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program Update

Fish Health on the Farm: What Can I Do and Resources When It’s Beyond Me

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

Stone Lab Virtual Open House

While we couldn’t welcome guests to Gibraltar Island this year, Stone Lab staff created a virtual tour to learn more about the Lake Erie islands and Stone Lab research, and to show off some beautiful views.