Part 3 in a
A lot of attention has focused on President Trump's proposal to eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which doles out $300 million a year for various projects. But his "skinny budget" has other cuts -- including the National Sea Grant program -- that would affect the region.
Three months ago, Dr. Chris Winslow became director of Ohio Sea Grant, after holding the position on an interim basis.
But then the Trump Administration released its budget for 2018 鈥� which cut all federal funding for Sea Grant programs, including Ohio鈥檚.
鈥淚 had an agenda of things I was going to be doing over the next three or four months,鈥� says Winslow. 鈥淭hat is slightly changed now, there鈥檚 other things that have to be on there. So it changes my workload and what I鈥檓 addressing.鈥�
There are 33 Sea Grant programs around the country, and they're funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Every coastal state has one, including the eight bordering the Great Lakes.
The programs have a three-pronged focus: research, education, and outreach.
Winslow says he wants Ohio Sea Grant to be purposeful in its research. 鈥淏efore we put priorities in our request for research funding, I contact EPA, I contact the Department of Natural Resources, I contact [The Department of] Agriculture, I contact [The Department of] Health.
鈥淚 say, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e going to put a call out for research 鈥� what鈥檚 an issue you鈥檇 like to have better handle on?鈥欌��
For the last 10 years, a major issue has been harmful algae blooms, the sometimes-toxic algae overgrowth that can shut down beaches and threaten drinking water.
With financial help from other state agencies, Ohio Sea Grant has managed over 50 different projects focused on the blooms. They range from tracking blooms and studying water treatment to educating farmers about nutrient runoff. There鈥檚 also been research on how harmful algae blooms affect people.
In an Ohio State University lab, research assistant Alex Kua blends head meat from a walleye, one of Lake Erie鈥檚 most popular catches. He鈥檚 part of a team helping Ohio create fish consumption advisories based on microcystin 鈥� a toxin produced by blue-green algae.
The walleye smoothie is the first step in a lengthy process to extract the toxin from the fish. Professor Stuart Ludsin leads the team.
鈥淭he state鈥檚 been getting a lot of questions from anglers about whether it鈥檚 safe to eat fish during the harmful algal bloom season,鈥� Dr. Ludsin says. 鈥淚nstead of just guessing, they wanted to put some quantitative data to it.鈥�
Ludsin鈥檚 team found allowable levels of toxins in the muscle tissue of walleye and yellow perch. He says until further research is done, its best to follow advisories already set for mercury levels in fish 鈥� one walleye per week, and two perch per week.
A couple of miles away, Dr. Jiyoung Lee studies the effects of microcystin on lettuce, carrots and green beans by irrigating the vegetables with toxin-contaminated water. Lee says the toxin affects shape and color of the vegetables, and a farmer鈥檚 bottom line.
鈥淚f the toxin microcystin is there, it affects food safety, but also it really affects food quality and crop yield,鈥� Lee says.
Lee鈥檚 results show that half of the toxin goes to the crop, while the other half goes to the soil. How long the toxin remains in the soil is unclear and requires more research, says Lee.
While larger farms typically use groundwater in their operations, Lee notes that smaller farms may use surface water. She recommends surface water reservoirs be tested for microcystin during the harmful algae bloom season.
Trump's budget blueprint says NOAA programs like Sea Grant primarily benefit industry, state, and local stakeholders. His budget shifts more money to the military and for a wall along the Mexican border.
The White House did not respond to request for comment.
Winslow says the Ohio Sea Grant program has a broad reach. 鈥淎nything we learn about harmful algal blooms, it鈥檚 going to Florida.
鈥淎ctually, I would argue, going to Iowa. And Iowa doesn鈥檛 have a Sea Grant program. But Iowa has ag and Iowa has harmful algal blooms.鈥�
Ohio鈥檚 program has survived federal cuts before. It has a diversified revenue stream that includes the university, the state, and private donors.
But while NOAA only provides 30 percent of the Ohio program鈥檚 total budget, the federal government provides 100 percent of the research budget. Which means some algae bloom studies wouldn鈥檛 get done quickly, or at all.
Researchers stress the need for more research on microcystin in fish, especially during extreme bloom conditions.
鈥淎t this point, I don鈥檛 know if we鈥檝e sampled the worst case scenario,鈥� says Ludsin. He used Lake Erie fish from 2015 and 2016 鈥� both were mild years for toxic algae blooms.
Meanwhile, Winslow plans to spend the next few months explaining how Ohio Sea Grant鈥檚 research connects to the success of the state鈥檚 economy and its tourism.
Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) recently spoke in support of Ohio Sea Grant and its funding, saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 an important part of the research that鈥檚 being done and the monitoring that鈥檚 being done, particularly on the algal blooms.
Coming in Part 4: On a Lake Huron tributary, workers rush to repair or remove aging dams in danger of collapsing.
Copyright 2021 Great Lakes Today. To see more, visit . 9(MDA5NTM4MTIyMDE0MTg3NDc2MTVlZjdmNQ001))
