Our Great Lakes

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is responsible for policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters; for the conservation and sustainable utilization of Canada's fisheries resources in marine and inland waters; for leading and facilitating federal policies and programs on oceans; and for safe, effective and environmentally sound marine services responsive to the needs of Canadians in a global economy.

Rising to the Challenge

The Great Lakes Basin is an ecosystem in constant flux. Changes within the Great Lakes, such as nutrient additions resulting from human activity, introduction of exotic species, changes in the quality and quantity of fish habitat, and contaminant loading all affect food webs in fascinating and intricate ways.

As partners in delivering the Government of Canada's Great Lakes Action Plan, DFO provides research essential to ensuring the health of the Great Lakes fishery and habitat. Here are a few recent examples.

Research

In Burlington and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, scientists with the Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (GLLFAS) conduct research related to:

• The health of the aquatic food webs of the Great Lakes, and effects on fish
• The distribution and abundance of recent invading species
• The effects of habitat alterations on fish communities in lakes and streams in the Great Lakes Basin
• The effect of water level fluctuations from hydroelectric dams on fish communities
• The mechanisms used by sea lamprey to influence the proportion of offspring that survive to adulthood
• Toxic chemical levels in fish communities throughout the Great Lakes

The GLLFAS also maintains a Biological Specimen Bank, which contains more than 15 000 frozen samples of fish and invertebrates. This collection of samples is often used to determine historical levels of recently detected contaminants.

Control of Unwelcome Newcomers

Since the early 1800s, at least 145 species have been introduced to the Great Lakes from other ecosystems. Because these "exotic" species were not a component of the Great Lakes ecosystem during its slow evolution, they often have fewer natural predators than local species, and their spread may threaten the ecosystem's delicate natural balance. Such exotic organisms include plants, algae, zooplankton, mollusks and fish.

Sea lampreys are primitive eel-like fish that prey on prized Great Lakes fish species. Because they are not native to the Great Lakes, their numbers rose unchecked by natural predators, and they nearly destroyed the whitefish and lake trout fisheries in the 1950s. DFO's Sea Lamprey Control Centre in Sault Ste. Marie assesses sea lamprey populations and implements chemical and non-chemical control measures to manage population growth - with the result that levels are now at only 10 percent of their peak. Exciting new research is underway to investigate alternative methods of control.

Another much-publicized invading species to have found its way to the Great Lakes is the zebra mussel, which is thought to have arrived in the mid-1980s via ballast water from a European ship. This small bivalve colonizes a wide variety of surfaces, clogging water intake pipes and costing millions of dollars in cleanup costs. The round goby (a fish) and the spiny waterflea (an invertebrate) are just two other examples of species, the effects of which Fisheries and Oceans Canada is working to better understand.

Canadian Hydrographic Service

Operating out of the Bayfield Institute in Burlington, Ontario the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is responsible for measuring and describing the physical features of Great Lakes waters. Special emphasis is placed on elements that affect safe and efficient navigation. The CHS provides valuable information for commercial navigators and recreational boaters, including:

• Paper and electronic charts
• Tides, currents and water levels
• Sailing directions
• Electronic databases

Habitat Management

Fish Habitat Management programs are those activities, legislative responsibilities and policies administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the purpose of conserving, restoring and developing the productive capacity of habitats for aquatic resources. The Fisheries Act of the Government of Canada outlines policy guidelines for projects and activities in or near the water that could "harmfully alter, disrupt or destroy" fish habitat by chemical, physical or biological means. Such actions could potentially compromise the economic, employment and other benefits that flow from Canada's fisheries.

Studies are carried out at the GLLFAS to further understand changes to fish populations resulting from changes to habitat. Scientists at the laboratory are developing practical tools and procedures for quantifying the effects of habitat loss and alteration.

Canadian Coast Guard

The Environmental Response Branch of Canada's Coast Guard works cooperatively with the United States to develop contingency plans to deal with marine pollution spills in waters bordering both countries. Should prevention efforts fail and a spill occur, the Coast Guard is prepared to take the lead.

In addition to completing the Canadian Coast Guard Marine Spills Contingency Plan, DFO is working closely with the United States to formulate a coordinated approach to spill response in those waters that span the Canadian and the United States borders.

For more information on Fisheries and Oceans Canada and its programs, please visit www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca