Limnology of Oneida Lake

Lars Rudstam, Kristen Holeck, Christopher Hotaling, Alexander Karatayev, Lyuba Burlakova, Vadim Karatayev, John Cooper, Abbie Mathews (Funded by NYSDEC and CBFS Brown Endowment)

Limnological studies to complement fish sampling started early in the 1960s in recognition of the importance of ecosystems for understanding fisheries - the beginning of ecosystem-based fisheries management approaches. Sampling includes physical metrics such as temperature, oxygen and water clarity, nutrients (P, N, Si), phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, and mussels. This data series is important not only for Oneida Lake fisheries but for analyses of the dynamics of ecosystems and effects of climate trends across the world. The program is tightly coupled with the fisheries studies, and the arrival of Bythotrephes, the return of Hexagenia, and the decline in benthic invertebrates following the arrival of round goby are all subjects of analyses and mechanistic studies. In 2025, we added night sampling for the phantom midge larvae (Chaoborus punctipennis, a predator on zooplankton that has increased in recent years) and the spiny water flea, studied Bythotrephes and Chaoborus effects on zooplankton (Abbie Mathews), and surveyed Hexagenia and mussel abundance.