Scientist to study algal blooms and walleye

SANDUSKY — Do you fish for walleye in Lake Erie? Do you worry about how harmful algal blooms will affect you? You've got a fish scientist in your corner.Ohio Sea Grant has just awarded a research grant to Suzanne Gray, an assistant professor of aquatic physiological ecology at The Ohio State University and a freshwater fish expert. Her study is entitled "Seeing the Bait on the Hook: Assessing the Impact of Harmful Algal Blooms on the Recreational Walleye Fishery in Lake Erie."The grant to Gray is one of seven grants for 2018-2020, a total of $785,500, that Sea Grant gave to researchers at Ohio universities, covering a variety of topics affecting the lake.Gray said part of the inspiration for her study came from a political cartoon, which showed an angler in a boat with green water, and a walleye that seemed to be struggling to find the bait on the hook. The OSU scholar studies vision in fish and realized, "I can answer that question.""When I moved to Ohio four years ago, I started hearing about these algae blooms," said Gray.She said she's well aware of the importance of walleye fishing and other sports fishing to Ohio's economy."People love fishing for walleye on Lake Erie," she said.Gray has done other research on walleyes in Lake Erie. She's also no stranger to algal blooms. Two weeks ago, she led a team at Lake Erie which measured the amount of light under the lake's blooms.Gray said she and her students will conduct much of the study at Lake Erie, although she also likely will study walleyes at The Gray Lab, the aquatic laboratory she founded after OSU lured her to Columbus. The study won't be finished for a couple of years, although some preliminary results should be available by summer 2018."We are going to test different lure colors. We are going to go fishing," she said.Gray said she wants her science to include practical answers, such as how to fish effectively during harmful algal blooms."I want our science to be meaningful for people," she said.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.Suzanne Gray, a scientist and professor at The Ohio State University who researches freshwater fish. Walleye caught during Cabela's National Walleye Tour in Huron lie in a cooler before going to Victory Kitchen on Thursday, April 13, 2017.