USGS Biological Science for Ohio, the Buckeye State

U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2018–3034, August 2018.

Ohio's natural wealth

Ohio has lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, forests, prairies and 312 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, which support fishing, hunting, outdoor recreation and much of the state's economy and heritage.

• Lake Erie supplies drinking water to 3 million Ohioans, supports 124,000 jobs and brings in .8 billion in tourism.
• Nearly 60 percent of Ohioans enjoy outdoor recreation, which is estimated to generate .3 billion in consumer spending a year, 215,000 jobs and .5 billion in state and local taxes.

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, the Interior Department's biological research arm, provides the science to help Ohio manage and conserve these resources.

Sustaining the Lake Erie fishery

Lake Erie supports a ** million** recreational fishery and well over half of all Great Lakes commercial fishing. For more than 50 years, USGS scientists aboard an ocean-sized research ship based in Ohio have surveyed its open waters for prey fish — gizzard shad, emerald shiners, rainbow smelt, freshwater drum and white perch — information state and Canadian provincial managers rely on to manage the fishery together.

Walleye, Lake Erie's famous game fish, help draw 1.1 million anglers a year to Ohio's lakeshore, who spend .1 billion on fishing. Using acoustic telemetry, USGS and Ohio scientists found walleye use broader and deeper habitats than was known — findings used to manage the fishery sustainably.

Fighting harmful algal blooms

Too many nutrients plus certain weather can cause harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie, harming tourism and making water temporarily unsafe for drinking, swimming and recreation. In 2014, Toledo told more than 400,000 residents "do not drink, do not boil" because of a bloom. USGS research explains the conditions that trigger blooms and helps managers improve them, and the USGS and the Great Lakes Commission set up the Great Lakes HABs Collaboratory, bringing scientists and local decision-makers together on solutions.

Restoring coastal wetlands

Great Lakes boating, fishing, hunting and wildlife watching generate an estimated ** billion** a year. Lake Erie's lowlands once held vast wetlands that protected water quality, buffered changes in lake level and sheltered fish and wildlife; birds such as mallards still use its coast, wetlands and woods on an internationally recognised flyway. Ohio has invested heavily in restoring coastal wetlands and urban waterfronts, and USGS and partners built tools that help its managers combine information and visualise wetland restoration projects.

Sharing news of wildlife disease

WHISPers, an online tool run by the USGS, gives managers up-to-date information on wildlife diseases such as chronic wasting disease, epizootic hemorrhagic disease and avian influenza that can affect Ohio's game animals. Ohio uses it to watch wildlife health, plan responses to outbreaks and share reports with other scientists and managers.

Keeping ahead of invasive carp

Invasive species have dramatically changed the Great Lakes' coastal and open-water ecosystems, affecting water quality and fishing. Among the most worrying are carp originally imported from Asia. Grass carp have been found reproducing in Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries, and research shows the lake has enough food to sustain bighead and silver carp.

If bighead and silver carp became established in Lake Erie, they could eventually make up a third of the fish by weight, and the fishery could decline. The USGS works with state and federal managers to keep them out. Public domain photo.

Across Ohio, the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi, the USGS gives managers science, risk assessments and tools for surveillance, prevention and control of these carp.

Mussel invaders

Quagga and zebra mussels have invaded some Ohio lakes and rivers, forcing costly surveillance, education, prevention and management, and harming water supply systems, recreation and native species. The USGS helps Ohio's managers stop their spread with detection and monitoring tools and control methods.

Zebra mussels are now in many Ohio lakes and rivers. Photo by Amy Benson, USGS.

Sources

• U.S. Geological Survey, 2018, Biological and ecological science for Ohio—The Buckeye State: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2018–3034. https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20183034 · https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20183034
• The introduction, the facts on walleye, Toledo's advisory and the carp, and the two photographs come from the fact sheet's PDF; its other photographs are stock images and are not reproduced here.
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.