Egg Thiamine Status of Lake Ontario Salmonines 1995–2004 with Emphasis on Lake Trout

Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), the major prey fish for Lake Ontario, contain thiaminase. They are associated with development of a thiamine deficiency in salmonines which greatly increases the potential for developing an early mortality syndrome (EMS). To assess the possible effects of thiamine deficiency on salmonine reproduction we measured egg thiamine concentrations for five species of Lake Ontario salmonines. From this we estimated the proportion of families susceptible to EMS based on whether they were below the ED20, the egg thiamine concentration associated with 20% mortality due to EMS. The ED20s were 1.52, 2.63, and 2.99 nmol/g egg for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), respectively. Based on the proportion of fish having egg thiamine concentrations falling below the ED20, the risk of developing EMS in Lake Ontario was highest for lake trout, followed by coho (O. kisutch), and Chinook salmon, with the least risk for rainbow trout (O. mykiss). For lake trout from western Lake Ontario, mean egg thiamine concentration showed significant annual variability during 1994 to 2003, when the proportion of lake trout at risk of developing EMS based on ED20 ranged between 77 and 100%. Variation in the annual mean egg thiamine concentration for western Lake Ontario lake trout was positively related (p < 0.001, r² = 0.94) with indices of annual adult alewife biomass. While suggesting the possible involvement of density-dependent changes in alewives, the changes are small relative to egg thiamine concentrations when alewife are not part of the diet and are of insufficient magnitude to allow for natural reproduction by lake trout.     

Evidence for Remote Effects of Dreissenid Mussels on the Amphipod Diporeia: Analysis of Lake Ontario Benthic Surveys, 1972–2003

The status of invasive dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis) and native amphipods (Diporeia spp.) in Lake Ontario was assessed in 2003 and compared with historical data. D. polymorpha (zebra mussels) were rarely observed in 2003, having been displaced by D. bugensis (quagga mussels). D. bugensis expanded its depth range from 38 m depth in 1995 to 174 m in 2003 and this dreissenid reached densities averaging 8,000/m² at all sites < 90 m. During the same time period, Diporeia populations almost completely disappeared from 0–90 m depth, continuing a declining trend from 1994–1997 reported in previous studies. The average density of Diporeia in the 30–90 m depth interval decreased from 1,380/m² to 63/m² between 1997 and 2003. Prior to 2003, areas deeper than 90 m represented a refuge for Diporeia, but even these deep populations decreased, with densities declining from 2,181/m2 in 1999 to 545/m2 in 2003. Two common hypotheses for the decline of Diporeia in the Great Lakes are food limitation and a toxin/pathogen associated with dreissenid pseudofeces. The Diporeia decline in deep waters preceded the expansion of D. bugensis to these depths, and suggests that shallow dreissenid populations remotely influence profundal habitats. This pattern of decline is consistent with mechanisms that act from some distance including nearshore dreissenid grazing and downslope transport of pseudofeces.     

Microplastic and other anthropogenic microparticles in water and sediments of Lake Simcoe

Microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm in size) have been reported in ecosystems worldwide and have been shown to cause adverse negative impacts on organisms. This study provides the first report of microplastics and other anthropogenic microparticles in the surface waters and sediments of Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada, a popular recreational and fishing lake. Surface waters (low volume grabs and manta trawls) and sediments were sampled from eight sites to determine microparticle abundances and character (size, morphology, material identity). Concentrations ranged from 0 to 0.7 particles/L in surface water grab samples, 0.4–1.3 particles/m³ in manta trawl samples, and 8.3–1070 particles/kg in sediment samples. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed that 72% of particles were anthropogenic, with 64% unambiguously identified as microplastics. However, confirmed microplastic concentrations were approximately 6–7 times lower than unadjusted counts in sediments, demonstrating the importance of verifying and adjusting reported values. Fibers were only quantified and characterized in surface water grab samples and sediments, and were the most common morphology, accounting for 82% and 89% of anthropogenic particles, respectively. Fragments were most common in manta trawl samples (75%, excluding fibers) and consisted predominantly of polyethylene (41%) and polypropylene (22%). The influence of proximity to urban centers and prevailing winds on the distribution of microplastics was apparent in surface water manta trawls. Microplastics and other anthropogenic microparticles are present in Lake Simcoe but at lower abundances than at locations impacted by larger population centers in other large freshwater lakes such as Lakes Ontario and Erie of the Great Lakes.     

Spatial ecology of Bay of Quinte walleye (Sander vitreus): Annual timing,extent, and patterns of migrations in eastern Lake Ontario

Walleye (Sander vitreus) are the top nearshore predator in the Bay of Quinte and eastern Lake Ontario, where they have strong ecological and socio-economic impacts. The population is known to migrate seasonally; however, the precise timing and extent are not well defined. This study used acoustic telemetry to provide a fisheries-independent measure of timing, extent, and seasonal distribution of migration in Lake Ontario and to examine the influence of sex, spawning river, size, and year. Annual detection histories were used to determine the timing of migrations into and out of the spawning rivers, departure from the Bay of Quinte post-spawn, and the pre-spawn return to the Bay of Quinte. Sequence analysis was subsequently used to examine how fish occupy defined regions of eastern Lake Ontario annually and identify patterns in migration strategy. Spawning site fidelity was high for both rivers (91–97%) and annual residency within the Bay of Quinte was low (9.5%). Females spent less time in spawning rivers, migrated to the main lake earlier, and generally travelled further than males. Larger fish also migrated to the main lake first and travelled further, and differences in timing between spawning rivers were minor. Annual differences in timing were observed and were most likely related to environmental differences between years. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of fish which utilized unique annual migration strategies and demonstrated sex and size had an important influence on the variability in annual spatial occupancy, but the importance of spawning river and year was minimal.     

Dreissena in Lake Ontario 30 years post-invasion

We examined three decades of changes in dreissenid populations in Lake Ontario and predation by round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). Dreissenids (almost exclusively quagga mussels, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) peaked in 2003, 13 years after arrival, and then declined at depths <90 m but continued to increase deeper through 2018. Lake-wide density also increased from 2008 to 2018 along with average mussel lengths and lake-wide biomass, which reached an all-time high in 2018 (25.2 ± 3.3 g AFTDW/m²). Round goby densities were estimated at 4.2 fish/m² using videography at 10 to 35 m depth range in 2018. This density should impact mussel populations based on feeding rates, as indicated in the literature. While the abundance of 0–5 mm mussels appears to be high in all three years with measured length distributions (2008, 2013, 2018), the abundance of 5 to 12 mm dreissenids, the size range most commonly consumed by round goby, was low except at >90 m depths. Although the size distributions indicate that round goby is affecting mussel recruitment, we did not find a decline in dreissenid density in the nearshore and mid-depth ranges where goby have been abundant since 2005. The lake-wide densities and biomass of quagga mussels have increased over time, due to both the growth of individual mussels in the shallower depths, and a continuing increase in density at >90 m. Thus, the ecological effects of quagga mussels in Lake Ontario are likely to continue into the foreseeable future.     

Groundwater as a source and pathway for road salt contamination of surface water in the Lake Ontario Basin: A review

In Ontario, there is limited comprehensive research regarding the contribution of chloride in groundwater to surface water systems. The delivery of chloride via groundwater can contribute to the degradation of the Great Lakes and their tributaries. Thus, this review intends to fill or identify knowledge gaps regarding assessing groundwater as a potential source of road salt, the single largest use of salt in urban cold region environments, contamination to surface water by synthesizing existing groundwater chloride research in the Lake Ontario Basin. Knowledge regarding source characterization, properties, pathways, and impacts of chloride in the environment is essential to evaluate the contribution of chloride via groundwater. Past groundwater chloride research in the basin is primarily concentrated in highly urbanized areas and has identified localized trends of increasing groundwater chloride concentrations in these regions; however, few investigations have been conducted in varying land uses (e.g., rural or less urbanized watersheds) or at sufficient temporal and/or spatial scales. Significant chloride accumulation is occurring in watersheds and aquifers within the basin. Concentrations are expected to increase until equilibrium is obtained, thus resulting in sustained yearlong elevated concentrations in tributaries. Recently, chloride loading to Lake Ontario has increased significantly, with groundwater inputs having the potential to support long-term increases in chloride concentrations in the lake. However, few studies have evaluated the explicit contribution via groundwater to Lake Ontario, and therefore a knowledge gap continues to exist. We provide a synthesis of additional research priorities to better understand the magnitude of groundwater chloride issues in the basin.     

Postglacial lake shoreline surveys and lacustrine paleobiotic records in northern Bruce and Grey counties,Ontario, Canada

Northern Grey and Bruce counties are situated centrally in the Lake Huron basin of the Great Lakes area of North America and are similarly central to the area of glacial Lake Algonquin, the largest glacial lake of the Great Lakes area. Ten survey traverses at sites in northern Grey and Bruce counties have documented the continuation of Lake Algonquin and Nipissing phase shorelines onto the Bruce Peninsula from previous work to the east. The Algonquin shoreline near 240 m ASL (above sea level) rises northward above land high enough to record it near Lion's Head. The Nipissing shoreline at 191 m ASL defines a shallow strait across the Bruce Peninsula near Ferndale, which was flooded temporarily at the maximum of the Nipissing transgression, separating northern Bruce Peninsula from the mainland. Uplift and Port Huron outlet downcutting later rejoined the island to the mainland as it is today. Raised beaches define Algonquin and Nipissing regressions by uplift using the Port Huron outlet. Paleobiotic records in a sand dune at Oliphant (molluscs), a Nipissing shorebluff along Sucker Creek (molluscs) and several sites in the former Nipissing shallow water strait near Ferndale (molluscs, ostracodes, plant macrofossils), provide paleoenvironmental data and supplement prior pollen studies at Lake Charles, Slough of Despond, and Hope Bay. Lake Algonquin deep water rhythmite clays are barren of fossils, whereas Nipissing shallow water silts are fossiliferous.     

Determinants of temperature in small coastal embayments of Lake Ontario

Along 25 km of the Lake Ontario shoreline near Toronto, Ontario, small coastal embayments (0.4–32 ha) have been constructed or modified by lake-infilling to restore warmwater fish habitat. The variation in thermal habitat quality for warmwater fishes among these embayments is very high; temperatures range from those found within a small pond to those of much cooler Lake Ontario. Since meteorological conditions and surface heat fluxes are almost identical, the temperature variation among embayments must be caused by differences in bathymetry or exchange with Lake Ontario. However, a previous study on these embayments found paradoxically that temperatures were not strongly associated with channel size or embayment bathymetry. This paper resolves the paradox by showing that flushing times for almost all of the constructed embayments were less than 1 day, and often less than 12 h. With so little time to warm within the embayments, water temperatures of almost all embayments remained very close to the temperatures of the adjacent lake waters. The coldest embayments connected directly to open Lake Ontario and warmer embayments connected to Lake Ontario through other embayments or protected harbors, where the inflowing water from Lake Ontario had already substantially warmed. To allow embayments along the exposed shoreline of Toronto to reach acceptable temperatures for warmwater fish, we use heat budgets to calculate that average summer flushing times must be increased from their current length of 1.5 to 5.5 h to approximately 30 h. Such changes could be achieved through large reductions in the channel cross section.     

Habitat use and diet composition of juvenile Atlantic salmon in a tributary of Lake Ontario

The habitat use and diet of juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar was examined in the South Sandy Creek drainage that discharges into eastern Lake Ontario. Subyearling salmon were stocked in early May during two consecutive years, and habitat and diet evaluations were made in mid-July and mid-October in 2005 and 2006. Both subyearling and yearling Atlantic salmon occupied deeper and faster areas that had more cover and larger sized substrate materials than was present, on average, within the study reach. Differences in habitat use between subyearling and yearling salmon only occurred in summer. Principal component analysis showed that of the habitat variables examined, the amount of cover and size of substrate were more important to juvenile salmon in summer, whereas depth and velocity were more important in the fall. Trichopteran larvae (mainly hydropsychids) dominated the diet of juvenile Atlantic salmon, and parr were feeding most heavily from the substrate as compared to the drift. The juvenile ecology of this re-introduced population of Atlantic salmon is consistent with that reported in other studies throughout the species native range.