Just as a gardener hopes that their scattered seeds will eventually bloom into a lush garden, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant awards Discovery Grants, or ‘seed’ grants, to a number of projects in the hopes that the initiatives will grow into something larger. This publication highlights research on stream water contamination, Asian carp, fish consumption safety, and more.

The role of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) is to direct enhanced monitoring and research activities across each of the Laurentian Great Lakes to provide relevant information to address the science priorities of each Lake Partnership (established under the Lakewide Management Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement). CSMI is an intensive effort to collect information on the health of one Great Lake each year, cycling through the lakes on a five-year period. In 2020/2021, it was Lake Michigan’s turn (over a two-year period due to COVID). This is an executive summary of the 2020/2021 research results and the associated white paper containing more specific information.

The role of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) is to provide enhanced monitoring and research activities that provide relevant information to address the science priorities of the Lake Partnerships (established under the Lakewide Management Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement) across the Laurentian Great Lakes. The Lake Michigan Partnership, a collaborative team of natural resource managers led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with participation from federal, state, tribal, and local governments or agencies, uses the information collected through CSMI to help develop long term ecosystem-based management strategies for protecting and restoring Lake Michigan’s water quality. On a practical level, CSMI is an intensive effort to collect information on the health of each lake, rotating to one Great Lake each year. In 2015, it was Lake Michigan’s turn. This is an executive summary of the 2015 research results and the associated white paper containing more specific information.

What are the most critical concerns facing Lake Michigan? The Great Lakes Regional Research and Information Network (GLRRIN) Lake Michigan team set out to answer this question by bringing together more than 50 government and academic researchers over several meetings to share what’s known, what isn’t, and what information would be most valuable to inform resource managers and others interested in the health of the lake.

This poster explains simple actions you can take to help protect local waters by fighting the spread of aquatic invasive species when angling.

A plaintext version of the information is available here.

This poster explains simple actions you can take to help protect local waters by fighting the spread of aquatic invasive species when hunting.

A plaintext version of the information is available here.

Asian carp, specifically bighead and silver carp, are non-native fish invading lakes and rivers in the Mississippi River and Great Lakes regions, and negatively impacting native organisms. These fish filter tremendous amounts of small plants and animals (plankton) from the water, thereby reducing the amount of food available to native species. One way to help the Asian carp problem is to eat the fish. This factsheet includes several recipes for Asian carp.

This website provides you with the information and tools needed to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species commonly found in trade. Water gardeners, aquarium hobbyists, retailers, anglers, teachers, wholesalers, and more can use these resources to learn about invasive species and identify alternative organisms that are safe to buy and sell.

For more detailed information, visit Aquatic Invaders in the Marketplace