Aquatic Research and Development Section (ARDS) Projects

Research Projects

Research projects conducted by ARDS scientists and their collaborators increase our understanding of Ontario's aquatic resources and provide a scientific basis for their effective management. These projects address a wide range of aquatic research needs on inland lakes, rivers, and streams and on the Great Lakes.

Please select a topic to learn more about aquatic research projects currently being conducted by Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources. NOTE - Projects covering more than one research area are listed only under their primary topic.

• Assessment Methods
• Biodiversity
• Climate Change
• Fish Populations
• Great Lakes
• Genetics
• Habitat
• Invasive Species

Assessment Methods

Project: Development of standardized small fish monitoring methodology for detection of aquatic invasive species and documenting nearshore fish community
Researcher:  Dr. Tim Johnson

 
Project: Development of a netting protocol for rivers (riverine index netting)
Researcher:  Dr. Nick Jones

Project: Criteria and indicators for monitoring walleye and lake trout resources
Researcher:  Dr. Nigel Lester

Project: North American sampling standard for small, coldwater lakes
Researcher:  Dr. Nigel Lester

Project: Ontario-Quebec partnership to calibrate Ontario netting standards and develop lake trout yield model
Researcher:  Dr. Nigel Lester

Project: Acoustic Survey Methodology for Lake Trout
Researcher:  Dr. Nigel Lester

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Biodiversity

Project: Atlantic salmon restoration in Lake Ontario
Researcher:  Dr. Nick Jones and Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Biodiversity and aquatic food webs
Researcher:  Dr. Mark Ridgway

Project: Biogeographic analysis of aquatic conservation value of Ontario’s parks and protected areas
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Conservation biology of aurora trout
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

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Climate Change

Project: Effects of water-level regulation on littoral zone fish production in Haliburton lakes
Researcher:  Dr. David Evans

Project: Effects of climate change on lake trout and associated glacial relict benthic invertebrates in Ontario lakes
Researcher:  Dr. David Evans

Project: Synthesis of bi-national limnological data for Lake Erie to evaluate long-term changes
Researcher:  Dr. Tim Johnson

Project: Regional and temporal variation in the thermal habitat of Great Lakes streams
Researcher:  Dr. Nick Jones

Project: Evaluation of single pass electrofishing sampling protocol to monitor Ontario redside dace populations
Researcher:  Dr. Nick Jones

Project: Climate change and lake trout: regional bathymetric analysis
Researcher:  Dr. Brian Shuter

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Fish Populations

Project: Haliburton lake trout project
Researcher:  Dr. David Evans

Project: Yellow perch recruitment study: influence of river discharge
Researcher:  Dr. Tim Johnson

Project: Reproductive ecology of boreal fishes: steelhead across the Great Lakes; Lake trout in small northern lakes
Researcher:  Dr. Tom Johnston

Project: Ecology of smallmouth bass
Researcher:  Dr. Mark Ridgway

Project: Pelagic food web/cisco project
Researcher:  Dr. Mark Ridgway

Project: Lake trout behaviour: comparison of feeding costs
Researcher:  Dr. Brian Shuter

Project: Evaluation of stocking success
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Identifying source populations for rehabilitative stocking
Researcher: Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: American eel: towards a population model
Researcher:  Dr. Yingming Zhao

Project: Walleye recruitment in Lake Erie
Researcher:  Dr. Yingming Zhao

Project: Developing adaptive management decision support models for Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch
Researcher:  Dr. Yingming Zhao

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Genetics

Project: Broodstock monitoring for Fish Culture
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Conservation genetics of aquatic Species At Risk
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Effective population size and adaptive potential of lake trout and brook trout
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Effects of inbreeding on lake trout fitness
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Identifying native genetic biodiversity in lake trout and brook trout
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Quantifying ancestry and introgression from supplemental stocking
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Stock structure of muskellunge in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Stock structure of rainbow trout across the Great Lakes
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Stock structure of walleye in the lower Great Lakes
Researcher:  Dr. Chris Wilson

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Great Lakes

Project: Food web response to ecological change in Lake Ontario
Researcher:  Dr. Tim Johnson

Project: Effects of aquaculture escapes on naturalized rainbow trout populations
Researcher:  Dr. Tom Johnston and Dr. Chris Wilson

Project: Food web structure and contaminant movement
Researcher:  Dr. Tom Johnston

Project: Ecology of double-crested cormorants in the Lake Huron coastal ecosystem
Researcher:  Dr. Mark Ridgway

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Habitat

Project: Lakeshore capacity project: dissolved oxygen requirements of lake trout
Researcher:  Dr. David Evans

Project: Landscape influences on flow regime characteristics in Ontario
Researcher:  Dr. Nick Jones

Project: Influence of flow regime on benthic invertebrate communities: Magpie River, Wawa, Ontario
Researcher:  Dr. Nick Jones

Project: Effects of water clarity on walleye habitat and yield
Researcher:  Dr. Nigel Lester

Project: Forest Fish Project
Researcher:  Dr. Mark Ridgway

Project: Quantification of lake trout habitat in Canada and potential impacts of climate change
Researcher:  Dr. Brian Shuter

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Invasive Species

Project: Lake Simcoe ecosystem changes: response to zebra mussels and climate change
Researcher:  Dr. David Evans

Project: Control strategy for round gobies
Researcher:  Dr. Tim Johnson

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