GREAT OUTDOORS: Lake Erie report card shows poor grades

The recently released 43-page bi-national "State of the Great Lakes 2025 Report" produced by the U.S. EPA and Environment Canada shows the condition of these bodies of water. This overview of the status and trends of the Great Lakes ecosystems shows the status of the Great Lakes compared to the previous report, published in 2023, with respect to nine major appraisals contributed by dozens of agency, university, conservation organizations and environmental consultant staff. It includes composite ratings for Great Lakes: drinking water (Good), Beaches (Good), Fish Consumption (Fair), Toxic Chemicals (Fair), Habitat and Species (Fair), Nutrients and Algae (Poor), Invasive Species (Good), Groundwater (Good), Watershed Impacts/Changes in Physical Conditions (Fair). Using supporting details provided by the consortium, the following mixed indicator scores were given to Lake Erie, which led to an overall "Poor/No Trend" evaluation. Good: Lake Erie is considered a good source for high-quality drinking water. Its biggest strength is an exceptional walleye population that supports both recreational and commercial fishing industries. Fish consumption advisories from mercury and PCB contamination in fish is declining, which earned grades of "Good" and "Improving." A robust prey fish population is an exception from the other Great Lakes that have seen declines in the food web due to quagga mussel filtration of the lower food chain. However, much of the prey here consists of unquestionably non-native species such as alewife, smelt, gobies and white perch. Gizzard shad make up a major portion of a walleye's diet in the Western Basin, but there is debate whether they are native or invasive. In 1882, ichthyologist David Starr Jordan reported that shad were not present in the Great Lakes until the completion of the Ohio-Erie Canal, but others claim that they were here earlier. Fair: Toxic chemical contamination earned a "Fair" rating and continues to slowly improve after seeing the biggest declines soon after water quality rules were first enacted. Beaches were judged to be open and safe for swimming 80% of the time on the U.S. side, which is deemed "Fair" by the U.S. EPA. On the Canadian side, they were open and safe 83% of the time, considered to be in the "Good" range by their counterparts there. Fair/Poor: Coastal wetlands were considered a mix of fair and poor. Fair conditions were seen in birds, amphibians and habitat connectivity. However, fish and plant communities are rated poor due to being dominated by non-native, invasive species. Poor: For Habitat and Species Assessment, which graded as mostly poor, the contributors used sub-indicators to determine the health of the lake, which included phytoplankton (Poor), zooplankton (Good), benthos (Poor), lake sturgeon (Poor), native fish prey (Poor), lake trout (Fair), walleye (Good), and fish-eating & colonial nesting waterbirds (Fair). Nutrients and algae levels continue to be "Poor" with no signs of change. The report notes that Western Basin toxic Harmful Algal Blooms threaten water supplies, human safety, pets and wildlife. "Decomposition of large amounts of algae from blooms can lead to the formation of hypoxic zones (such as in the Central Basin) which can suffocate aquatic organisms and degrade habitat." In the Eastern Basin, they noted that mats of cladophora (a filamentous algae) "can foul beaches and shorelines, clog municipal water intakes and impact tourism and recreational fishing." While the rate of new aquatic nonindigenous species establishment into the Great Lakes is considered "Good" those that are already present have left Lake Erie in "Poor and Deteriorating Condition." To read the full report, see binational.net.