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EPA SCIENTISTS LOOK FOR ANSWERS IN THE DECLINE IN LAKE ONTARIO’S FOOD WEB
Release Date: 08/19/99
Contact Information:
- United States Communications, Education,
Environmental Protection And Media Relations
Agency (1703)
Press Advisory
Following are some Agency developments which may interest you. If you need more information on any of these subjects, call the appropriate contact.
FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1999
EPA SCIENTISTS LOOK FOR ANSWERS IN THE
DECLINE IN LAKE ONTARIO’S FOOD WEB
DECLINE IN LAKE ONTARIO’S FOOD WEB
EPA scientists, using the research vessel Lake Explorer, are beginning a study to look at the decline in Lake Ontario’s food web and the commercial and sport fish populations. Over the past six years, EPA’s research facility in Duluth, Minn., has been monitoring the condition of the Great Lakes and assessing the impact of invading zebra mussels on Lake Ontario. Zebra mussels entered the Great Lakes in the late 1980s by hitching rides on ocean going ships. The invading mussels then established themselves in most of Lake Ontario’s shallow waters. As filter-feeders, these mussels strain and eat microscopic sea animals from large volumes of lake water, leaving less food available for the aquatic life that normally resides in Lake Ontario. This seven to 10 day study will involve taking samples from 90 different sites throughout the United States and Canadian waters using the Agency’s research vessel. The majority of the Lake Ontario sampling will take place near the shallow water where algae blooms develop and provide a food base for the mussels. The research will focus on restoring the integrity of the lake’s highly valued ecosystem and providing data and insights that can be used to monitor and address the condition of Lakes Superior, Michigan and Erie. The public is invited to visit the research vessel Lake Explorer at the Lewiston, N.Y., docks on Sunday Aug. 22 from noon to 2 p.m. and at the Port of Rochester docks, Charlotte, N.Y., from 10 a.m. to noon on Aug. 26.
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