Syracuse.com - Algae bloom/ fishery problems minimal in Lake Ontario and other local waterways

[HuntingNY-News]

The Lake Ontario fishery, according to recent preliminary studies by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, is having another record-breaking year of catches, particularly in regard to chinook salmon and trout.

A one-two punch of excessive nutrients and ravenous mussels is causing a sharp drop-off in Great Lakes fish populations and the worst outbreak of algae blooms in decades, the Associated Press reported this week.

Runoff from farms, city parking lots and other sources is causing a flood of nutrients such as phosphorus in near-shore areas and bays, the National Wildlife Federation said in a report based on government and university studies. Meanwhile, deeper waters are experiencing the opposite problem: Invasive quagga and zebra mussels are gobbling too much food, causing fish higher up the chain to go hungry.

Toxic algae blooms are on the rise — especially on Lake Erie, the shallowest and warmest of the lakes, where the problem was worse this summer than any time in recorded history, the report continued. One gigantic mass of toxic algae, up to 2 feet thick in some spots, stretched across most of Erie’s western basin. The blooms are believed to be causing the return of a “dead zone” in the lake’s central basin with so little oxygen that fish can’t survive.

Scary stuff.

So, what’s the story with algae blooms and invasive species in Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake and other inland waterways around Central New York?

We seem to be doing OK, but officials continue to keep a close watch on the invasives and the impacts of agriculture and other development.

Meanwhile, the Lake Ontario fishery, according to recent preliminary studies by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, is having another record-breaking year of catches, particularly in regard to chinook salmon and trout.

Steve LaPan, a DEC staffer who is section head for Great Lakes Fisheries at Cape Vincent, said each Great Lake is unique. He said Lake Erie’s problems, for example, stem from its shallow, western end with its huge tributaries that flow through agricultural areas.

“But once you get to the eastern, New York end of the lake, the water is deeper and colder and the nutrients (from the farms, etc.) are present to a much lesser degree,” he said.

He pointed out that 85 percent of Lake Ontario’s water comes from Erie and the water quality in most aspects has improved in recent years and continues to get better.

LaPan noted although Lake Ontario has its share of zebra and quagga mussels which feast on planketon, but another invasive species, round gobies are feeding on the mussels. Also, the other fish in the lake — particularly, the bass and walleyes, and most recently the trout and salmon — are feeding on the gobies, thus reconnecting the lake’s food chain.

He said Lake Ontario is divided into two zones: the areas close to shore and the off-shore areas, which make up the bulk of the lake. He emphasized the main lake is having a phenomenal fishing year, but that algae blooms are present near shore around the tributaries and that officials need to continue making strides to deal with that.

Randy Jackson, senior research biologist at Cornell’s Biological Field Station in Bridgeport, said Oneida Lake, despite having both zebra and quagga mussels, is likewise holding its own and its fishery remains healthy.

“You’re seeing algae blooms like we’ve already had,” he said. “But that article is much more dramatic than what we’re seeing in Oneida.”

Owasco Lake last year had problems with blue green algae blooms due in part to a relatively recent Asian clam infestation at the northern end of the lake.

“Actually, this past summer was better than last year,” said Bruce Natalie, an environmental engineer with Cayuga County, crediting the cooler, rainy weather in August and September.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog