Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Tomas Höök, associate director for research, was part of a team of researchers involved in a comprehensive study on Lake Erie’s health and measures needed to protect it.
 
From Phys.org
“The report from the multi-institution EcoFore-Lake Erie project states that a 46 percent reduction in the amount, or load, of phosphorus pollution would be needed to shrink Lake Erie’s Central Basin hypoxic zone to a size last seen in the mid-1990s—a time that coincided with the recovery of several recreational and commercial fisheries in the lake’s west and central basins.
 
Phosphorus is a nutrient used in crop fertilizers. Excess phosphorus washes off croplands during rainstorms and flows downstream in rivers that feed the Great Lakes. Once in the lakes, phosphorus can trigger algae blooms. When the algae die and sink to the lake bottom, oxygen-consuming bacteria feed on them and create hypoxic zones in the process. Many fish shun these oxygen-starved waters, which significantly reduce the amount of suitable habitat available to the fish.
 
The study, accepted for publication in a forthcoming edition of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, calls for Central Basin phosphorus reductions considerably higher than other recent recommendations, including a proposal issued last year by the Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorus Task Force aimed at avoiding Western Basin toxic algae blooms. The new report is a synthesis of the major findings from the EcoFore-Lake Erie project, created in 2005 and supported by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research.”
Read the rest of the article at the link above.

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IISG is seeking a talented and passionate person to join our team as a research & reporting administrator. This is an exciting leadership opportunity for someone interested in managing a competitive research portfolio and leading our annual reporting process to make a real impact on the health and vitality of our Great Lakes ecosystems and communities. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing our research competitions, spearheading data collection and reporting for our ~$5 million program, and supervising a small team of dedicated staff.Interested? Learn more at the link in bio.
Just in time for DEA National Takeback Day on October 25, Unwanted Meds now has an interactive step-by-step guide that walks users through how to properly dispose of different types of medicine. Users can also find two new educational brochures designed to help veterinarians, pet owners, and livestock farmers prevent accidental poisonings and pollution.Learn more at the link in bio.
Join us November 5th and November 12th seminars on the latest fish biology, ecology, and fisheries science happening in Lake Michigan. Topics will include:• PFAS contamination in coastal tributaries• Great Lakes Spawning Whitefish and Invasive Mussels (SWIM) project• Hatchery update from the Indiana Department of Natural ResourcesLearn more and register at the link in bio.
How Do You Track a Fish in a Great Lake? Are your students curious about how scientists track fish underwater? In this Students Ask Scientists session, discover how researchers use acoustic telemetry to track fish like yellow perch in Lake Michigan.You will meet Anna Hill, a master’s student at Purdue University, as she shares her career journey studying marine and freshwater systems.📅 Date: November 6, 2025🕚 Time: 11:00 AM–12:00 PM CT🎯 Audience: Middle school students & up + educators💻 Location: Zoom (Pre-registration required)Learn more and register at the link in bio.#TeachingTuesday#StudentsAskScientists#LakeMichigan
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