Long-time AEL postdoc, Dr. Rich Budnik is off to join the Ohio EPA’s fish contaminants division. We are excited to have another AEL alum at the Ohio EPA, and we look forward to seeing the great science Dr. Budnik will surely produce!

Dr. Ludsin and colleagues at the AEL, Ohio Sea Grant, NOAA, and Michigan State University coordinated the Great Lakes Fisheries Science Training (FST) Workshop in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics from July 29 through August 6 of this summer.

Participants arrived in Columbus on Friday, July 29 and were greeted by workshop coordinators. Saturday they enjoyed lecture and lab sessions at the AEL, and Sunday they traveled to Stone Lab after a stop in Milan, Ohio, for stream sampling and a stop at Old Woman Creek estuary for kayaking and education on the unique value of the estuary. Participants then spent the week at Stone Lab learning all about fisheries science from a wonderful group of scientists and professionals in the Great Lakes fisheries science community.

In mid-May the AEL welcomed the 6th graders from the Indianola Informal School for first time since the pandemic. The students had a day packed with learning about aquatic ecosystems!

AELers put together great sessions on:

• Aquatic ecosystems and food webs – the students heard a short lecture from Lyndsie and Devan and then participated in a food web activity
• Collecting data and sampling in aquatic environments – the students donned waders and hopped into the vernal pond by the AEL with some assistance and education from Stu, Hannah, Neal, Rich, and Yifan
• Mussels! – AEL alumna Kaitlin Ulin gave a short lecture and brought some mussels to demonstrate
• Nutrient cycling and pollution – Morgan and Matthew put together a wonderful new demonstration with colorful chemistry
• Otoliths – Steven & Alex showed students learned how otoliths are used to age fish and how the oto rings are analogous to tree rings
• Plankton – Cathy & Willi showed the students live plankton under the microscope

Thanks to all the AELers for their hard work in sharing our knowledge, and to Libby for helping coordinate with the teachers to make this event a success!

Dr. Ludsin and other AELers attended  the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (JASM) May 14-20 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Stu was a session co-organizer for Exploring past, present, and future of Lake Erie: physicochemical and food web change and their application to ecosystem-based management. He also gave two talks:

• An integrated approach to understand harmful algal bloom and hypoxia impacts on Lake Erie’s food webs
• When nutrient abatement meets climate change: Projected impacts on Lake Erie and its watershed

For a complete list of AEL members’ contributions, see the AEL website.

Dr. Stu Ludsin presented a Freshwater Science webinar through Ohio Sea Grant entitled, “Using Genetics to Manage Lake Erie Walleye Fisheries.”

Stu’s presentation described the work he and many collaborators in the Lake Erie system have done on walleye stock discrimination. This work helps scientists and managers better understand the overall walleye population in the lake.

Dr. Ludsin and other AELers participated in the International Association for Great Lakes Research State of Lake Erie Conference March 16-17, 2022 by giving talks, presenting posters, and collaborating with colleagues. See a list of AEL talks and posters on the AEL website, and find more details and collaborations in the conference abstract book [pdf].

Dr. Stu Ludsin (AEL faculty), Kendra Wecker (Chief, Ohio Division of Wildlife), Libby Marschall (AEL faculty), and John Freudenstein (Chair, Dept EEOB)

The AEL was once again honored to host an in in-person (and online) Lake Erie and Inland Waters Annual Research Review December 9 and 10 at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. This event is an opportunity to bring together the researchers from Ohio Division of Wildlife and the university scientists and graduate students with whom they collaborate to study fisheries science and aquatic ecosystems across Ohio.

Talks ranged from zooplankton, to catfish, to walleye, to sturgeon. Find list of talks and posters on the AEL website, and reach out to pfaff.20@osu.edu if you would like copies of the slides or posters. Most talks were given in person, with just a few given as pre-recorded talks with the authors available for questions on Zoom after. There were more than 50 individuals participating via Zoom, including asking questions to in-person presenters.

NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program is sponsoring an eight-day Great Lakes Fisheries Science Training (FST) workshop in

population and ecosystem dynamics, to be held during summer 2022. This workshop will introduce participants to the study of fisheries science and will explore careers in fisheries ecology, management, and conservation.

At the workshop, we will present a diverse group of participants with the foundational elements of fisheries ecology, management, and modeling in a manner that is engaging and accessible, regardless of the students’ ecological and quantitative background. We will explore how aquatic ecology and quantitative methods can be integrated and used to solve fisheries management problems. Finally, we will provide a robust view of careers in fisheries science and guidance on how to advance and become more confident and qualified when applying for both graduate and employment opportunities.

Application information and more details about the workshop can be found at the the Great Lakes FST page.