2023 NOAA Sustainable Seafood Celebration, Washington D.C. Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative booth team from left: Chiara Zuccarino-Crowe, Amy Shambach, Peter Fritsch, Ashtyn Chen, Don Schreiner, Nicole Wright. Image credit: Lori Argulles/NOAA.

In June 2023, fish and seafood raised in the Great Lakes region got a bit more name recognition in our nation’s capital among legislators, their aides, and staff from federal resource agencies during the Sustainable Seafood Celebration, a coast-to-Great Lakes-to-coast seafood cooking and tasting event.

Locations of regularly appearing CHABs in the Great lakes with proposed sampling sites indicated in red. Dominant bloom-forming taxa are indicated for the proposed study sites as well as the most commonly detected cyanobacterial toxins. Graphic credit: Robert Sterner.

Goal: This project seeks to determine the stoichiometric (chemical arithmetic) and climate determinants of diverse Great Lakes cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (cHABs).

Where does runoff come from?

Stormwater runoff from our communities’ streets, driveways, parking lots, and rooftops can degrade the quality of our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and sometimes, shallow groundwater resources. Urban, suburban, and agricultural stormwater runoff carries pollutants such as nutrients, pathogens, and sediment. When the amount (volume) and speed (rate) of runoff increases, such as during and after storms, outcomes can include localized and downstream flooding.