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Integrated assessment of the economic value of Lake Michigan recreational fishing in Illinois: A mixed methods approach

Principal Investigator: Sergiusz Czesny
Affiliation: Illinois Natural History Survey
Initiation Date: 2015

This study aimed to estimate the total economic impact of recreational fishing in the Illinois waters of Lake Michigan, compare expenditure estimates from the creel survey with those from a mail and internet survey, and assess the economic impact of several fisheries within the Illinois and Indiana Lake Michigan fishery.


Investigating Chicago and Northshore REscue Skills and Swim to Survive: Community Utilization and Experience (I CAN RES3CUE)

Principal Investigator: Michelle Macy
Affiliation: Lurie Children's Hospital
Initiation Date: 2022

Little progress has been made toward reducing fatal drowning incidents in the United States (U.S.) in the last 20 years. Recent data from the Great Lakes indicate the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in excess drownings during summer 2020. Chicago has 26 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 24 free, public beaches that are punctuated with piers and jetties. The resultant structural currents pose unique risks to patrons who often access the lake outside of the official summer season and in the summer season after lifeguards go off duty at 7 p.m. There is an urgent need for effective education programs to raise awareness about recreation safety in Lake Michigan, the deadliest of the Great Lakes, and to increase water competence in diverse communities that have historically been excluded from swimming. The community-engaged injury prevention and water safety experts in Chicago are uniquely situated to respond.

Objective 1: To assess the impact of Chicago Park District’s Community Water Safety Trainings on program participant knowledge and skills, community-level knowledge, and distressed swimmer events and drownings.

Objective 2: To implement, pilot, and evaluate the Swim to Survive Program enhanced with Great Lakes safety education in Evanston, IL and adapt the program for implementation in Chicago communities.


Investigating fish energy use and swimming behavior in turbulent flows: guiding restoration of Lake Michigan tributaries

Principal Investigator: Piotr Cienciala
Affiliation: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Initiation Date: 2018
  • Identify key parameters of turbulent flow that influence fish space use and energetic cost of swimming in complex flows found around in-stream structures
  • Develop – and evaluate under realistic field conditions – a quantitative model that links key parameters of turbulent flow to energetic cost of swimming

Investigating the environmental and genetic cues for jellyfish blooms in the invasive freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta sowerbii)

Principal Investigator: Nadine Folino Rorem
Affiliation: Wheaton College
Initiation Date: 2022

Our overall goal is to is to is to gain insight into the basic biology of Craspedacusta in order to better predict its ecological impact in response to climate change. In particular, we are interested in the following questions:

  1. What are the environmental cues for Craspedacusta jellyfish blooms and can these cues predict when and where Craspedacusta blooms will occur in southern Lake Michigan?
  2. Can these conditions be replicated in a laboratory environment to induce jellyfish formation?
  3. Are the genetic mechanisms that control jellyfish blooms in Craspedacusta similar to that of their marine relatives, and thus likely to have a parallel response to climate change?

To address these questions we have three primary objectives:

  1. Determine environmental parameters required for jellyfish blooms through field work and citizen science approaches;
  2. With the involvement of undergraduates we will design and conduct laboratory experiments utilizing environmental parameters and zooplankton composition data from objective 1, with the intention of culturing Craspedacusta medusae to their reproductive stage.
  3. Conduct transcriptional analyses to document differential gene expression in the different life cycle stages to determine the genetic cues for life cycle transitions. 

We have a fourth objective to improve scientific literacy on invasive aquatic species though developing educational modules with live Craspedacusta jellyfish for the public, K-12 classrooms, focusing on underserved communities.


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