The Environmental Science Division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is based at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Division is responsible for carrying out research on the structure and function of freshwater habitats, with particular emphasis on national and transboundary fish habitat problems. Such problems include climate change, acid precipitation, toxic chemicals and the ecological impacts of physical disruptions to fish habitat.

Experimental Lakes Area

At the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) field station in northwestern Ontario, a number of lakes and their drainage basins have been set aside under an agreement between DFO and the Province of Ontario for the purpose of whole-lake manipulation studies. This facility, in existence since 1968, offers researchers a unique opportunity to conduct experimental research in nature instead of inside the laboratory. Entire small lakes are available to test hypotheses about freshwater ecosystems. With permanent buildings housing modern labs, living facilities and support services, the science community has the potential to work on site year round.

Habitat Impacts Research

Researchers with the Habitat Impacts Section provide biological expertise in the areas of fish population ecology and productivity of the lower levels of the food web. Research is conducted, both at the Experimental Lakes Area and at other lake and river study sites in northwestern Ontario and the Prairie Provinces, on issues involving disruptions to fish habitat caused by physical alterations and by industrial and municipal discharges.

Eric Marshall Aquatic Research Library

The Eric Marshall Aquatic Research Library, located at the Freshwater Institute, serves all parts of DFO throughout Central and Arctic Region. The library maintains an extensive inventory of monographs, current journal titles, volumes of journal back issues, microfiche documents, microfilms, CD-ROMs and maps. The library is open to the public from Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 3:30 pm.

Fish Health Studies

The Fish Health Section provides fish health certification services to the aquaculture industry in the Region in support of the Fish Health Protection Regulations. This group also provides a fish health monitoring service to provincial fish hatcheries and commercial fish culture operations in the Prairie Provinces and undertakes fish disease surveillance work involving wild and stocked populations in the Region.

For more information about Environmental Science research, contact the Freshwater Institute at 501 University Cr., Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6; by phone at (204) 983-5000; or visit our regional website.