Geology Reports⌕ Search

Geology topics

Research about New York, Ontario

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including New York, Ontario.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2023

Parentage-based tagging using mothers balances accuracy and cost for discriminating between natural and stocked recruitment for inland fisheries

Hatchery programmes are frequently used to supplement inland fisheries, yet achieving successful management outcomes often requires information on stocked versus naturally reproduced fish abundance. Parentage-based tagging – genetically assigning offspring to their parents – has potential to be an effective approach for distinguishing stocked and naturally reproduced fish. However, several challenges may limit its application to inland fisheries, including genetic relatedness among populations that can affect identification accuracy and high costs of genotyping large broodstocks. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of parentage-based tagging based on broodmothers in the Lake Ontario Chinook Salmon fishery, which uses thousands of broodparents and has potential for substantial relatedness between stocked and naturally reproduced fish. Restricting parent sampling to broodmothers reduced costs by two-thirds, was logistically pragmatic, and achieved >95% accuracy in distinguishing stocked from naturally reproduced salmon. Combined, these results highlight the potential wide applicability of parentage-based tagging for assessing stocking programmes in inland waters.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS2021

Evidence of successful river spawning by lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario

Restoration of a wild-produced lake trout Salvelinus namaycush population in Lake Ontario has not been successful despite the adult population often meeting or exceeding restoration targets. Lack of high-quality spawning habitat in Lake Ontario is suggested as one impediment to recruitment of wild lake trout, although the quantity and location of spawning habitat is poorly understood. If high-quality spawning habitat is limited in Lake Ontario, lake trout may be using uncommon spawning locations such as rivers. Anecdotal angler accounts point to the Niagara River as a lake trout spawning location. To better understand the potential of the Niagara River as a spawning location, egg and juvenile fish collections were conducted 12–14 river kilometers from the mouth of the Niagara River from 2010 to 2012; and mature female lake trout with surgically implanted acoustic tags were monitored from 2015 to 2019. Genetic analyses confirmed 60% of collected eggs and 93% of collected post-hatch juvenile fish in the Niagara River were lake trout. Tagged female lake trout returned to the Niagara River over consecutive years during the spawning season. The short duration of lake trout presence in the river (mean = 56 days/year) suggests female lake trout use the Niagara River primarily for spawning. Diversity in spawning locations may provide lake trout population’s resilience against environmental variability through a portfolio effect. Improved identification of riverine spawning locations, including their overall contribution to wild recruitment, may be a useful tool for managers to restore a wild-produced population of lake trout in Lake Ontario.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS2020

2019 Status of the Lake Ontario Lower Trophic Levels

Spring total phosphorus (TP) in 2019 was 3.2 µg/L (offshore) and 4.7 µg/L (nearshore), both all-time lows; however, there is no significant time trend in our data series (1995-2019 for nearshore; 2002-2019 for offshore). Apr/May – Oct mean TP concentrations were low at both nearshore and offshore locations (range, 3.7 – 6.5 µg/L). TP and SRP concentrations were not significantly different between nearshore and offshore habitats. Chlorophyll- a and Secchi depth values are indicative of oligotrophic conditions in nearshore and offshore habitats. Offshore summer chlorophyll-a declined significantly 1995 – 2019. Nearshore chlorophyll- a increased 1995 – 2004 and then stabilized 2005 – 2019. In 2019, epilimnetic chlorophyll-a averaged between 1.3 and 2.9 μg/L across sites, and Apr/May – Oct concentrations were not significantly different between nearshore and offshore sites. Summer Secchi depth increased significantly in the offshore 1995 – 2019 from ~6 m to ~8 m. In the nearshore Secchi depth increased 1995 – 2004 but has remained around 6 m since 1999. Apr/May – Oct Secchi depth ranged from 3.8 m to 9.1 m (12 ft to 30 ft) at individual sites and was significantly higher offshore (7.6 m; 25 ft) than nearshore (5.7 m; 19 ft). In 2019, nearshore summer zooplankton biomass increased to 16.7 mg/m 3 after an all-time low (10.3 mg/m 3 ) in 2017. Offshore biomass (12.0 mg/m 3 ) was near the all-time low (8.1 mg/m 3 , 2006). Apr/May – Oct epilimnetic zooplankton density and biomass were not different between nearshore and offshore sites. However, zooplankton average size was significantly higher in the offshore (0.72 mm) than the nearshore (0.61 mm). Peak (July) epilimnetic biomass of Cercopagis was 2.4 mg/m 3 in the nearshore and 1.4 mg/m 3 in the offshore. Peak (September) epilimnetic biomass of Bythotrephes was 2.0 mg/m 3 in the nearshore and 2.9 mg/m 3 in the offshore. Summer nearshore zooplankton density and biomass declined significantly 1995 – 2004 and then remained stable 2005 – 2019. The decline was due mainly to reductions in cyclopoids copepods. Summer epilimnetic daytime offshore zooplankton density decreased significantly 1995 – 2004, but biomass did not. Density and biomass declined significantly 1995 – 2019. Density was 3885/m 3 in 2019, about one-fourth the level observed the previous year. Offshore summer epilimnetic zooplankton biomass in 2019 was 12 mg/m 3 —well below the mean from 2005 – 2018 (20 mg/m 3 ). Most offshore zooplankton biomass was found in the metalimnion in July and early-October, and in the hypolimnion in September. Limnocalanus dominated the metalimnion in July while daphnids comprised most of the biomass in October. In September, Limnocalanus dominated the hypolimnion.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS2016

Estimates of lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) diet in Lake Ontario using two and three isotope mixing models

Recent development of multi-dimensional stable isotope models for estimating both foraging patterns and niches have presented the analytical tools to further assess the food webs of freshwater populations. One approach to refine predictions from these analyses is to include a third isotope to the more common two-isotope carbon and nitrogen mixing models to increase the power to resolve different prey sources. We compared predictions made with two-isotope carbon and nitrogen mixing models and three-isotope models that also included sulphur ( δ 34 S) for the diets of Lake Ontario lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ). We determined the isotopic compositions of lake trout and potential prey fishes sampled from Lake Ontario and then used quantitative estimates of resource use generated by two- and three-isotope Bayesian mixing models (SIAR) to infer feeding patterns of lake trout. Both two- and three-isotope models indicated that alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) and round goby ( Neogobius melanostomus ) were the primary prey items, but the three-isotope models were more consistent with recent measures of prey fish abundances and lake trout diets. The lake trout sampled directly from the hatcheries had isotopic compositions derived from the hatchery food which were distinctively different from those derived from the natural prey sources. Those hatchery signals were retained for months after release, raising the possibility to distinguish hatchery-reared yearlings and similarly sized naturally reproduced lake trout based on isotopic compositions. Addition of a third-isotope resulted in mixing model results that confirmed round goby have become an important component of lake trout diet and may be overtaking alewife as a prey resource.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS2015

From yellow perch to round goby: A review of double-crested cormorant diet and fish consumption at three St. Lawrence River colonies, 1999–2013

The number of double-crested cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus ) in the upper St. Lawrence River has increased markedly since the early 1990s. In 1999, a binational study was initiated to examine the annual diet composition and fish consumption of cormorants at colonies in the upper river. Since 1999, 14,032 cormorant pellets, collected from May through September each year, have been examined from St. Lawrence River colonies to estimate fish consumption and determine temporal and spatial variation in diet. Seasonal variation in diet composition within a colony was low. Prior to 2006 yellow perch was the primary fish consumed by cormorants in the upper St. Lawrence River. Round goby were first observed in cormorant diets in 2003 and by 2006 were the main fish consumed at two of the three colonies. The time interval it took from the first appearance of round goby in the diet at a colony to when goby were the dominant prey species varied by island, ranging from two to five years. Daily fish consumption at each cormorant colony increased significantly from the pre-round goby to post-round goby period. The mean annual biomass of yellow perch consumed decreased significantly during the post-round goby period at the three colonies. Reduced consumption of yellow perch by cormorants may alleviate suspected localized impacts on perch near some of the larger river colonies.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS2009

Importance of light, temperature, zooplankton, and fish in predicting the nighttime vertical distribution of Mysis diluviana

The opossum shrimp Mysis diluviana (formerly M. relicta ) performs large amplitude diel vertical migrations in Lake Ontario and its nighttime distribution is influenced by temperature, light and the distribution of its predators and prey. At one location in southeastern Lake Ontario, we measured the vertical distribution of mysids, mysid predators (i.e. planktivorous fishes) and mysid prey (i.e. zooplankton), in addition to light and temperature, on 8 occasions from May to September, 2004 and 2005. We use these data to test 3 different predictive models of mysid habitat selection, based on: (1) laboratory-derived responses of mysids to different light and temperature gradients in the absence of predator or prey cues; (2) growth rate of mysids, as estimated with a mysid bioenergetics model, given known prey densities and temperatures at different depths in the water column; (3) ratio of growth rates ( g ) and mortality risk (μ) associated with the distribution of predatory fishes. The model based on light and temperature preferences was a better predictor of mysid vertical distribution than the models based on growth rate and g :μ on all 8 occasions. Although mysid temperature and light preferences probably evolved as mechanisms to reduce predation while increasing foraging intake, the response to temperature and light alone predicts mysid vertical distribution across seasons in Lake Ontario.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS1998

Age and growth of lake sturgeon in the Upper St. Lawrence River

The growth of lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) over time in the upper St. Lawrence River was examined. Growth of lake sturgeon collected during 1993 and 1994 below Robert Moses Dam near Massena, New York, was compared to that reported for the same population almost 25 years earlier. The data suggest that lake sturgeon growth was similar to that reported in the previous study. However, significant differences in the elevations of regression models between males and fish of unknown sex in both data sets suggest possible sexual dimorphism in growth at younger ages.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS1996

Predation by sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) on lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in southern Lake Ontario, 1982-1992

Dead lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) killed by sea lamprey (P etromyzon marinus ) were collected from the bottom of Lake Ontario using bottom trawls. The number of dead lake trout per hectare could be predicted from the number of type A-1 sea lamprey marks observed on live fish in September gillnet surveys ( r 2 = 0.60, P < 0.01) but not from the sum of marks of types A-1, A-2, and A-3 combined. Sea lamprey selectively attacked and killed the largest lake trout. The lengths and ages of live fish with A-1 marks increased as the population of longer, older lake trout in the lake increased, and the length distributions of fish killed by sea lamprey were not different ( P > 0.05) from those of live fish with A-1 marks in 5 of 6 years where comparisons could be made. Compared with Lake Superior strain lake trout, Seneca Lake strain fish were only 0.41 times as likely to be attacked by sea lamprey and were less likely to die from an attack (both differences P < 0.05). Conservative estimates of the numbers of lake trout killed by sea lamprey in southern Lake Ontario from October to mid-November ranged from 17,000 in 1988 to 121,000 in 1984.

New York, Ontario↗
USGS1974

Classification and new genera of noncystimorph colonial rugose corals from the Onesquethaw stage in New York and adjacent areas

A. proposed classification is outlined for 39 species of colonial rugose corals in 10 genera belonging to the families Stauriidae, Craspcdophyllidae (including Cylindrophyllinae new subfamily and Craspedophyllinac), Disphyllidae?, and Zaphrentidae, from the Onesquethaw and lower Cazenovia Stages in New York and adjacent areas. These corals are described or redescribed in another report now in press. Three new genera, Asterobillingsa , Grewgiphyllum , and Cyathocylindrium , are described in this report.

New York, Ontario↗