Aquatic Research and Development Section (ARDS) delivers applied research in the fields of fisheries, aquatic ecology and biodiversity, and hydrology to meet the scientific needs of natural resource policy developers and managers.
ARDS’s staff consists of research scientists, technicians, biologists, and administrative and management staff, as well as summer students and contract staff. Our home base is at the Trent University DNA Building in Peterborough, and we operate the Harkness Laboratory of Fisheries Research in Algonquin Provincial Park, the Codrington Research Hatchery and the Aquatic DNA Lab at Trent University. Staff are also located at the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie Fisheries Stations at Glenora and Wheatley, respectively, and at Laurentian University’s Living with Lakes Centre and the University of Toronto.
Our section’s scientific leadership is based on more than 100 years of Ontario government led fisheries and aquatic research. While the section’s roots are in fisheries science, it has adapted and evolved over the years as governments and the public face an increasing complexity of changes and considerations when managing to sustain aquatic ecosystems. Today’s section continues to respond to the research needs of our fisheries management clients, and also is providing scientific support to a growing diversity of aquatic research questions from species at risk, renewable energy, waters, climate change, and biodiversity conservation policy and program clients. We are also involved in geographical focused research related to the Algonquin Park, Lake Simcoe, Far North and the ecological integrity of the Great Lakes.
New project profile series!
Learn more about what’s going in ARDS research. Our project profiles highlight new research, results, collaborators and where you can get more information on specific projects. Stay tuned as our series grows!
- Bilge and live wells possible refuges for aquatic invasive species
- Hydropower Peaking and River Ecology: A Tale of Two Rivers
- Thermal Diversity of Fish in Southern Ontario Watersheds and Climate Change
- Climate Change and Fisheries in Ontario and Quebec
- Egg quality variation in Ontario’s lake trout
- Aquatic Ecosystem Classification (AEC)
Program areas: please select a topic to learn more about aquatic research currently being conducted by Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources.
- Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe ecosystem dynamics
- Flowing waters aquatic ecology program
- Reference points for assessing lake ecosystems
- Great Lakes food webs
- Inland lakes - northern fish communities
- Inland lakes and Lake Simcoe ecosystem
- Aquatic biodiversity conservation – species at risk
- Great Lakes – population, decision-support and climate change models
- Inland lakes – Algonquin Provincial Park and beyond
- Hydrology and environmental flows
- Aquatic biodiversity and conservation
(New program area information will be added as it becomes available)
Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe ecosystem dynamics
Research team
- Erin Dunlop, Research Scientist
- Michael Pinder, Senior Research Technician
The focus of our research is to understand how invasive species and man-made activities alter ecosystem dynamics and to provide science support for the sustainable use of renewable resources in the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe. We use a variety of cutting edge tools in our research including hydroacoustics, simulation modeling, and stable isotope analyses.
Research areas include:
- The impact of invasive species on Great Lakes food webs
- Pelagic prey fish dynamics in the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe
- Developing simulation models to investigate sustainable harvesting practices for exploited fish populations and to inform ecosystem management
- Using hydroacoustics to study spatial ecology of fishes and ecosystem change in the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe
- The effects of offshore wind power projects on fish and fish habitat and science-based options for offshore wind power projects in the Great Lakes
- The association between habitat and nearshore fish biodiversity
- Evolutionary ecology of fishes including the management implications of fisheries-induced evolution
Flowing waters aquatic ecology program
Research team
- Nicholas Jones, Research Scientist
- Bastian Schmidt, Analytical Ecologist
- Sarah Hogg, Research Technician
Research in river and stream ecology focuses on the ecology and management of flowing waters. Understanding rivers requires a transdisciplinary ecosystem approach that combines ecology, hydrology, geomorphology, and that incorporates various levels of temporal and spatial resolution e.g., landscape ecology and GIS. Students, collaborators, and MNR research staff are interested in the interaction of stream fishes and invertebrates at the population and community levels within their habitat. Laboratory and field experiments are combined with broad-scale comparisons of the structure and function of flowing waters. Much of our research is applied in nature which serves to better the understanding and management of Ontario's flowing waters. Basic science is needed in many cases to answer applied questions.
Research areas include:
- Ecosystem effects of hydropower on rivers including spatial patterns of algae, organic matter, benthos and fishes, invertebrate drift response, the growth and migration of fishes, and thermal regime characteristics.
- Development of broad-scale and hydropower monitoring programs for Ontario’s rivers including the development of sampling methods, an aquatic ecological classification systems, measures to describe the state of flowing waters (indicators), and a statistical reporting framework.
- Regional and temporal variation of thermal and flow regime characteristics in Ontario’s rivers and their response to landscape and climatic change.
- Species of concern including Atlantic salmon, redside dace, sturgeon, coaster brook trout.
Related links:
Reference points for assessing lake ecosystems
Research team
- Nigel Lester, Research Scientist
- Brian Shuter, Research Scientist
- Trevor Middel, Research Biologist
The objective of our program is to develop a reference point framework that can be applied to the ecosystem assessment of Ontario lakes to inform the management of fisheries, habitat and biodiversity.
Reference points offer a means of assessing the extent to which ecosystems have been altered by man-made changes; in the case of exploitation, they offer an assessment of whether current levels of harvesting are sustainable.
Research areas include:
- Reference points for evaluating the exploitation status of walleye and lake trout in inland lakes
Research team
- Tim Johnson, Research Scientist
- Brent Metcalfe, Research Biologist
- Nina Jakobi, Research Technician
We investigate the effects of ecosystem change (invasive species, climate change, habitat alteration) on the structure and function of aquatic food webs of the Great Lakes. By combining field observation with controlled laboratory studies and simulation modelling we strive to characterise vital rates (growth, production, transfer efficiencies) within and between different food web components. Through extensive collaboration with other agency and academic partners, we combine traditional methods with emerging technologies (e.g. ecological tracers, physiologic assays) to better resolve the food web composition and interactions. Improving our understanding of these ecosystems and the impacts of various stressors will reduce the uncertainty in management, ultimately leading to more productive and sustainable use of the resource.
Research areas include:
- Ecological consequences of invasive Hemimysis anomala, the bloody red shrimp
- Factors influencing recruitment dynamics of yellow perch
- Development of a control strategy for round goby
- Influence of invasive species and climate change on lake whitefish
- Development of indicators of aquatic ecosystem health
- Bioenergetics and physiology of fishes
Inland lakes - northern fish communities
Research team
- Tom Johnston, Research Scientist
- Lee Haslam, Senior Research Technician
The boreal shield is the largest ecoregion of Ontario and contains most of the province’s lakes. Fish communities of these lakes support important recreational and subsistence fisheries. This program seeks to improve our management of these northern fisheries by refining our understanding of the ecological processes acting within and upon fish communities. The primary research themes are fish community structure and reproductive ecology.
- Fish community structure:
- examine variation in both the fish species composition and food web structure of northern lakes
- how these influence energy and contaminant flow through systems
- Reproductive ecology:
- examine the influence of fish population demographics (age and size structure) and fisheries management practices on reproductive success
Research areas include:
- Food web structure of northern lakes in relation to their physical characteristics and fish community composition.
- Relative influence of food web position and growth rate on mercury bioaccumulation in northern piscivores
- Trophic niche overlap of co-habiting smallmouth bass and walleye with respect to water clarity
- Ecology of burbot in northern lakes
- Contrasting interpretations of fish community structure through NORDIC and Broad-scale monitoring (BsM) surveys
- The relative roles of maternal and environmental effects on egg quality variation in northern fishes
Inland lakes and Lake Simcoe ecosystem
Research Team
- David Evans, Research Scientist
- Victoria Kopf, Sr. Resource Technician
Our research is multifaceted, addressing changes across the full spectrum of aquatic life in Lake Simcoe. We are tracing the sources and fates of chemical constituents such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus that are silently transported in air and water and that can dramatically impact the health of the Lake Simcoe ecosystem; as well as investigating the responses of aquatic life such as zooplankton, benthic invertebrates and fish. The goal of this research is to contribute widely applicable new knowledge in support of restoring and maintaining the health of the lake and its watershed as directed by the policies of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan.
Research areas include:
- Determining long-term historical changes in watershed development impacts using sediment cores to trace century, decade and annual variation in key indicator variables.
- Deciphering causes of shifts in food web dynamics and production processes resulting from physical stressors such as invasive species, nutrient loading and climate change using traditional short-term diet and habitat-use studies.
- Using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to trace sources of organic carbon and nitrogen from internal offshore and nearshore production versus land production and human sources to the deep water zone of the lake. This will help identify the sources of organic matter contributing to dissolved oxygen depletion in the deepwater habitats of cold-water fishes such as lake trout, lake whitefish, and lake herring.
- Use of field and laboratory incubation experiments to determine the lake-wide impact of mussels on nutrient dynamics and production, and the impact of mussels on storage and redistribution of nutrients and minerals within the lake.
- Spatial distribution and spreading rates of invasive rusty crayfish, displacement of native crayfish species and potential food web impacts in inshore waters.
- Use of mercury mass balance and bioenergetics models, and distribution, diet and growth studies to evaluate the impact of invasive spiny water flea and dreissenid mussels on prey consumption rates, energy densities and growth efficiencies of key fish species.
Aquatic biodiversity conservation – species at risk
Research team
- Scott Reid, Research Scientist
The objective of this research program is to provide aquatic-based science support for implementing the provincial Endangered Species Act (ESA), and federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). Research contributes to species status assessments, addresses priority actions identified in recovery strategies, and assists in defining habitat needs for species at risk. Projects have been undertaken on a wide range of imperiled aquatic taxa including freshwater mussels, fishes, and the semi-aquatic Queensnake.
Research areas include:
- methods to monitor species at risk and describe their habitats
- demographics and regional population structure
- effectiveness of actions to protect and recover species at risk
- impact of human activities (e.g. urbanization, flow regulation) on species at risk and their habitats
- impacts of invasive species (e.g. Round Goby and Rusty Crayfish) on species at risk
- taxonomy, ecology and recovery of imperiled coregonids (deepwater ciscoes and Lake Whitefish species pairs)
Great Lakes – population, decision-support and climate change models
Research team
- Yingming Zhao, Research Scientist
This research mainly focuses on fish population dynamics, especially recruitment dynamics. We have applied interdisciplinary knowledge to study fish recruitment. The results from fish population studies provide scientific advices on fish stock assessment and fisheries management. This program area is also interested in modelling fish habitats and studying how fish habitat and fish respond to environmental changes, such as climate change.
Research areas include:
- Lake Erie walleye population dynamics and management to inform sustainable harvest models
- Climate change modeling to predict the implications to fisheries management
Inland lakes- Algonquin Provincial Park and beyond
Research team
- Mark Ridgway, Research Scientist
- Trevor Middel, Biologist
- Gary Ridout, Senior Operations Supervisor
- Lucas Dumas, Maintenance Mechanic
- Peggy Darraugh, Harkness Lab Cook
Our program focus is to provide new knowledge about lakes inside and outside of Algonquin Provincial Park within the Algonquin land claim area. Results from hydro-acoustic and netting surveys are important for harvest and allocation questions as well as for park values such as species conservation and representation of unique aquatic food webs. Also to develop monitoring and assessment methods for understanding long-term population dynamics of sport fish such as lake trout, brook trout and smallmouth bass.
Research areas include:
- Developing population assessment methods for fish and waterbird populations
- Ecology of brook trout, lake trout and other cold water fish in Algonquin Park
- Conservation biology and species-at-risk research on Algonquin Park fish and fish assemblages ~ Blackfin cisco & other species
- Recruitment dynamics of smallmouth bass & use of tournaments as fishery monitoring tools
Related links:
Hydrology and environmental flows
Research team
- Robert A. Metcalfe, Research Scientist
- Bastian Schmidt, Analytical Ecologist
Our broad research interests include physical hydrology, GIS and remote sensing applications in hydrology, and linkages between hydrology and aquatic ecology. These interests cover a range of temporal and spatial scales but we are particularly interested in basin-scale processes. Our current research focuses on meso-scale riverine processes and the impact of hydrologic alteration by dams and waterpower facilities on the ecological condition of river ecosystems. Outcomes of the research will increase understanding of hydrological, biogeochemical, and fluvial geomorphological processes and their relationship to the ecological integrity of river ecosystems. Results of our research support the waterpower portion of MNR's Renewable Energy Program. This includes the development and integration of new knowledge, methods, and tools to support both policy development and program implementation.
Research areas include:
- Geography of water – regional hydrology of Ontario.
- Simulating natural flow regimes in ungauged basins to establish reference conditions for environmental flow assessments.
- Characterising natural and altered flow regimes using ecologically-meaningful hydrologic indicators that can predict and explain changes in river condition.
- Classification of natural and altered flow regimes.
- Elucidating changes to physical riverine processes (i.e. hydrologic regime, sediment regime, and water quality) in response to the alteration of river systems for waterpower.
- Development and implementation of a framework and associated methodologies and tools to conduct environmental flow assessments.
Related links:
Aquatic biodiversity and conservation
Research team
- Chris Wilson, Research Scientist
- Kristyne Wozney, Senior Research Technician
- Bill Sloan, Senior Research Technician
- Scott Ferguson, Research Technician
- Anne Kidd, Research Technician
Our research program focuses on identifying and addressing information gaps relating to the biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable management of exploited and endangered aquatic species in Ontario to help ensure their long-term sustainability. This work is done through active collaborations with universities, other agencies, and non-government organizations, as well as direct science support and collaboration with other research, management, and field units within MNR. Much of our research uses genetic tools to assess the influences of environmental and man-made factors on the genetic structure and diversity within and among aquatic populations. Assessing genetic traits at the molecular and whole-organism levels enables us to assess the comparative fitness of populations with differing adaptations, as well as determining the heritability of ecological and adaptive traits. We are applying these combined tools to assess rehabilitation efforts for several species, as well as assessing the adaptive potential of coldwater species in response to climate change and novel stressors.
Research areas include:
- Environmental DNA detection (eDNA) of aquatic invasive and endangered species
- Genetic stock structure of Great Lakes fishes
- Effects and effectiveness of stocking practices for inland fish populations
- Genetic biodiversity of exploited and endangered fish and mussel species
- Genetic assessment of species rehabilitation and reintroduction efforts
- Effective population size and adaptive potential of coldwater species
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