Monitoring microbes in the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes environmental agencies want to build the capacity to understand microbe threats and develop responses and mitigation plans in advance of crises such as large fish kills. We developed a collaborative plan for monitoring microbes across the Great Lakes of North America to meet practical needs with the latest science and testing technology. The goal was to build understanding of harmful microbes and be rapid, relevant, and robust in addressing threats. The program was oriented for adaptability to changing threats and will target areas of human activity, especially shipping ports and invasion hotspots. Sampling will be aimed at fish and water with application of molecular testing procedures that will allow rapid, efficient, and very sensitive detection of microbes. Compared to other programs with similar aims, our agenda is broader in scope, focuses on building knowledge, uses a representative sampling design, and will provide findings for proactive management and response planning. The reliance on molecular testing procedures, sample archiving, and rapid and broadly distributed results distinguishes our approach from the other similar programs. Fitting microbe monitoring into the Great Lakes environmental management agenda is expected to add an important new dimension to ecosystem monitoring and yield new knowledge of importance for management.