Round gobies are an important part of VHSV genotype IVb ecology in the St. Lawrence River and eastern Lake Ontario

Abstract Determination of the mass output through the St. Lawrence River outflow system is an important component in computing mass balance of chemical loadings to Lake Ontario. The total flow rate in the St. Lawrence River System at the Wolfe Island area was calculated from detailed time series current meter measurements from a network of current meters and Lagrangian drifter experiments. This flow is roughly distributed in the ratio of 55% to 45% in the South and North channel, respectively. Loading estimates of selected chemicals have been made by combining the above transport calculations with the ongoing chemical monitoring data at the St. Lawrence outflow. A vertical gradient in the concentration of some organic and inorganic chemicals was observed. The measured concentration for some of the chemicals was higher during the summer months and also is higher in the South Channel than in the North Channel of the St. Lawrence River. These loading estimates are useful not only for modelling the mass balance of chemicals in Lake Ontario but also for serving as input loadings to the St. Lawrence River system from Lake Ontario.

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Zebra Mussels as Biomonitors for Organic Contaminants in the Lower Great Lakes

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.1996.023 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 411-432 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Michael E. Comba ◽

Janice L. Metcalfe-Smith ◽

Klaus L.E. Kaiser

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Organic Contaminants ◽

Lake Erie ◽

Soft Tissues ◽

Lake Ontario ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Zebra Mussels ◽

Organic Contamination ◽

Contamination Levels ◽

St Lawrence River

Abstract Zebra mussels were collected from 24 sites in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River between 1990 and 1992. Composite samples of whole mussels (15 sites) or soft tissues (9 sites) were analyzed for residues of organochlo-rine pesticides and PCBs to evaluate zebra mussels as biomonitors for organic contaminants. Mussels from most sites contained measurable quantities of most of the analytes. Mean concentrations were (in ng/g, whole mussel dry weight basis) 154 ΣPCB, 8.4 ΣDDT, 3.5 Σchlordane, 3.4 Σaldrin, 1.4 ΣBHC, 1.0 Σendosulfan, 0.80 mirex and 0.40 Σchlorobenzene. Concentrations varied greatly between sites, i.e., from 22 to 497 ng/g for ΣPCB and from 0.08 to 11.6 ng/g for ΣBHC, an indication that mussels are sensitive to different levels of contamination. Levels of ΣPCB and Σendosulfan were highest in mussels from the St. Lawrence River, whereas mirex was highest in those from Lake Ontario. Overall, mussels from Lake Erie were the least contaminated. These observations agree well with the spatial contaminant trends shown by other biomoni-toring programs. PCB congener class profiles in zebra mussels are also typical for nearby industrial sources, e.g., mussels below an aluminum casting plant contained 55% di-, tri- and tetrachlorobiphenyls versus 31% in those upstream. We propose the use of zebra mussels as biomonitors of organic contamination in the Great Lakes.

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Distribution and fluxes of metals in the St. Lawrence River from the outflow of Lake Ontario to Qu�bec City

Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1007/bf00877072 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 1-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ken R. Lum ◽

K. L. E. Kaiser ◽

C. Jaskot

Keyword(s):

Lake Ontario ◽

St Lawrence River

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A telephone survey of eel fishermen regarding external lesions and mortalities of American eels (Anguilla rostrata) from Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River basin, Canada

Preventive Veterinary Medicine ◽

10.1016/s0167-5877(96)01133-6 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 31 (1-2) ◽

pp. 33-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lucie Dutil ◽

Denise Bélanger ◽

Catherine M Couillard

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Telephone Survey ◽

Lake Ontario ◽

Anguilla Rostrata ◽

American Eels ◽

St Lawrence River

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First Occurrence of the Round Goby, Neogobius melanostomus, in the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall, Ontario

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v119i4.212 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 119 (4) ◽

pp. 582 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. Brian C. Hickey ◽

Adrienne R. Fowlie

Keyword(s):

Round Goby ◽

Scuba Diving ◽

Neogobius Melanostomus ◽

Benthic Fish ◽

First Occurrence ◽

Round Gobies ◽

St Lawrence River

We document the first reported occurrence of the Round Goby, Neogobius melanostomus, a small benthic fish native to the Black and Caspian seas, in the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall. On 7 September 2004, we observed approximately 20 Round Gobies while SCUBA diving at a depth of 7 m, downstream of the Saunders Generating Station at Cornwall, Ontario. Round Gobies appear to have arrived recently in this reach of the river and have not previously been detected despite extensive fish surveys conducted in the area.

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