WFSC 304 Water and Bioenvironmental Science

WFSC 304 – Water and Bioenvironmental Science

Lecture 14 – Great Lakes

Great Lakes: biological and cultural case study

The Great Lakes occur on one of the world’s longest international borders:

Image: IJC 2015

Components of the issue:

1. The long border

2. Equal status of countries – both are developed, capitalist, democratic

3. Despite the vastness of Canada, 90 percent of its population is within 100 miles of the U.S. border.

4. Both countries use the water heavily and problems have manifested due to actions on both sides of the border.

5. Given the points above, it is in the interest of both countries to have a system of guidelines and processes in place to both prevent and mediate conflicts.

The International Joint Commission—one of the best examples of binational cooperation and action (http://www.ijc.org/en/ .).

6. Read the 2015 Review of Accords up to and including the paragraph beginning “2015 RECOMMENDATION 2:” on page 7. Also read A Circle of Blue article.

7. Reflect on this type of water resource management and contrast with unigovermental regulation under central and democratic sysems of government

Feel it—see the system http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibTWQogsbL8&feature=player_embedded (5 min)

· Understand the geological formation of this system, as described in the video

Anatomy— Learn the anatomy of this system—the five lakes, major riverways, the basic navigation constrictions, and entry to the sea

· The Chicago Sanitary Canal connects the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.

· Here is a good map and information on the St. Lawrence estuary (link).

· Video describing river reversal (link)

Utility of Great Lakes

· Over 150 million tons of freight transported annually (e.g. Water Atlas p. 70)

· Provides recreation (e.g. $2B to Michigan economy per year)

· Provides water for industrial, agricultural and domestic usage

· Provides hydropower

· Performs an immensity of ecosystem services

Trending environmental change in Great Lakes

· Effects of global warming on lakes not well defined

· Likely: Warming of waters will reduce water quality (Water Atlas, p. 32)

· Precipitation effect uncertain, but probably reduced

· Anthropogenic: expect increased usage, nutrification, emergent toxin issues (e.g. mercury? pesticide or industrial residues?)

Fisheries—boom, bust, boom… stay tuned—

Biological history of the Great Lakes

Asian carp (early phase)

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

o introduced for sport fishing

o carp fishing never caught on in US or Canada

o considered naturalized, though invasive

Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

o introduced through pet trade

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

o introduced for aquatic vegetation control

o now considered invasive

o triploid carp often used

These carps are naturalized now

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) – 1920-30’s

· half meter eel-like body with sci-fi mouth

· prey upon/parasitize large (often predator) fish

· destroyed commercial fishery of native whitefish, lake trout, walleye

· manual control achieved using TFM

(selective lampricide)

· TFM required massive coordination

effort between US & Canada

Alewife (bad guy, no wait… now a good guy) – 1949

invaded through Welland Canal from the Atlantic

population explosion due to lamprey-driven loss of predators

massive fish kills on beaches (1970’s)—subject to reduction efforts

planktivore—new invaders (like zebra mussels below) compete for food

now too few alewife—alewife now subject to restoration planning

Marine salmon – late 1960’s, ongoing

introduced to control alewife – it worked

restored fishery of lakes in new form (recreational fishery for salmon)

Pacific salmon (chinook, coho, pink) and the Atlantic salmon

Round goby (bad guy, good guy) – 1990

thought to be very dangerous—subject to reduction efforts

now thought beneficial as control for zebra mussels

Zebra mussel – 1992 (spread to all 5 Lakes in under 10 years)

lacks native predators in Great Lakes

outcompete native species (of fish, mussels) for plankton

fouls equipment, other animals

possible control is other invaders

o round goby

o rusty crayfish

New wave of Asian carp

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)

control attempt in Chicago area (electric weirs; also this)

interesting behavior of the carp—video: “redneck fishing”

species accounts for the new-wave carp: link

Great Lake states v. Army Corps of Eng http://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/asian-carp/