Recent Submissions

  • Northern Sunfish Restoration Activities in Lower Tonawanda Creek and the Adjacent Erie Canal in 2023 and 2024

    Haynes, James M. (NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Fisheries., Rare Fish Unit, 2024)
    : The Northern Sunfish (Lepomis peltastes), a threatened species in NY state, was caught in lower Tonawanda Creek and a wide water slough of the Erie Canal (study area) from 1974 to 2009. It was not caught at these locations after 2009 and was assumed to be extirpated. This study began the process of testing the hypothesis that the absence of Northern Sunfish (NS) after 2009 was caused by removal of two-thirds of the NS caught in the study area from 2006-2009 for the purpose of obtaining brood stock to establish a pond population that would preserve the study area population and be used for stocking elsewhere in NYS. In May 2023, more than 3,000 descendants of study area NS were stocked into the study area. Follow-up sampling by boat and backpack electrofishing caught 43, 12 and 9 stocked fish in July and September 2023 and June 2024, respectively. Many of the stocked fish and fish caught in June 2024 were gravid, but it was too soon to find evidence of recruitment. Sampling in the study area is recommended in June 2025 to ascertain continuing presence of stocked NS and look for evidence of recruitment of progeny from NS stocked in 2023.
  • Biological Study of Irondequoit Bay

    Haynes, James M.; Dilcher, Ronald C.; Norment, Christopher J.; Zollweg, James A.; Parnell, Nicholas F. (New York State Department of State, 2002-12)
    : Irondequoit Bay is a major ecological resource in western New York, and much has been done for 30 years to improve its water quality and maintain its natural physical and ecological features. Although many studies have been done on selected groups of flora and fauna (particularly aquatic) in and near the Bay, this is the first comprehensive study of the biological resources of the Bay since the New York State Biological Surveys in the 1930s. This study provides scientific data to support recommendations for land and water use in the Irondequoit Bay Harbor Management Plan, and it provides a benchmark for future studies as development and natural resource management occur in the study area.
  • Fishes in Muddy Creek, Erie National Wildlife Refuge-Seneca Division, with Emphasis on Host Species for Federal and State-Listed Freshwater Mussels and State-Listed Fishes Final Project Report for the Erie National Wildlife Refuge

    Haynes, James M.; Wells, Scott M. (SUNY Brockport, Department of Environmental Science and Ecology, 2006-05)
    Muddy Creek, Crawford County, PA is one of 10 major sub-basins of the French Creek watershed. The portion of Muddy Creek that flows through the Erie National Wildlife Refuge-Seneca Division provides habitat for 22 species of freshwater mussels, including two federally- and state-listed as endangered and one federal candidate species. The purpose of this project was to sample for fishes in the portion of Muddy Creek flowing through the Erie National Wildlife Refuge-Seneca Division to determine the presence and distributions of host fishes for federally- and state-listed freshwater mussels and of state-listed fishes. We collected 48 species of fish (3,221 individuals) including 24 of the 31 species in the French Creek watershed reported to serve as mussel hosts (1,023 individuals) and seven of the 24 state-listed fishes (177 individuals) thought to live in the French Creek watershed. We present new fish data, the associations of freshwater mussels and their host fishes at 19 sampling sites, and the listing status (by the Pennsylvania Natural History Program) of the sampled fishes and reported mussels.
  • Comparison of Walleye Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) information with habitat features of a Walleye spawning stream

    Lowie, Christopher E.; Haynes, James M.; Walter, Ryan P. (Jounral of Freshwater Ecology, 2001-12)
    We compared habitat conditions in a stream where Walleye successfully produce fry and compared them to a nationally applicable Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) model for Walleye. During a 2-3-week migration period in each of 3 years, Walleye were observed spawning; eggs were collected primarily in April and fry in May each year. Water depths, velocities and temperatures were at the lower end of or below the optimum ranges described in the HSI for spawning Walleye; however, random sampling indicated that optimum conditions for these parameters generally did not exist in the stream. Substrate, dissolved oxygen, and pH in the stream were optimal according to the HSI. Our results indicate that predictions using the HSI alone are not sufficient to identify regional streams where Walleye might successfully establish viable populations.
  • Movements of Pacific Salmon in Lake Ontario: Evidence for wide dispersal

    Haynes, James M.; Keleher, Christopher J. (Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 1986-06)
    After radio tagging, Pacific Salmon (Coho and Chinook) dispersed widely along shore (spring) and throughout Lake Ontario (summer) in 1984. They did not occupy areas near shore after water temperatures exceeded 9-10 oC, except when winds produced upwelling of colder water at the lake’s surface close to shore in summer. No significant differences were observed between the two species re: distances moved, daily movement rates, and water temperature occupied. One fish moved at least 500 km during 4 months of tracking.
  • . Disseminating Successful Undergraduate Science Curriculum Adaptation and Implementation Strategies and CCLI-ND Grant-Writing Techniques: Regional Workshops Led by Successful Innovators and Experienced Investigators, Evaluating Faculty Change Processes and Assessing Student Understanding of STEM Concepts

    Haynes, James M.; Hluchy, Michele M.; Connolly, Mark R. (American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2004)
    From 1980-2006, we showed multiple cohorts of undergraduate faculty how environmental impact analysis can be used in their STEM courses to tie together scientific concepts and theories, research and analytical techniques, and mathematical and communication skills appropriate to address local environmental problems. During more than 20 summer workshops (5 days to 3 weeks), we chose themes of Stressed Stream Analysis or Great Lakes Ecosystem Dynamics because those topics allowed us to demonstrate (and for participants to learn hands-on) new, ecologically based approaches to pollution control and to use spreadsheet models to explore the movements of pollutants in ecological systems. Faculty participants (mostly from the disciplines of biology, chemistry, geology, and engineering) worked in teams to address the environmental problems presented to them by the workshop instructors then wrote environmental impact statements. In later stages of our workshop activities for undergraduate faculty, we also developed units on developing their capacity to use and modify new assessment instruments to gather better data on student learning and managing the challenges of undertaking significant pedagogical and curricular changes in their courses.
  • Movements and temperatures of radio tagged salmonines in Lake Ontario and comparisons with other large aquatic ecosystems.

    Haynes, James M.; Gerber, Glenn P. (Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 1989-12)
    We used six years of radiotelemetry data (1980-86) to compare movements and temperatures occupied by four introduced salmonine species (174 tagged fish) in the nearshore region of Lake Ontario. Movement patterns, net movement rates, water temperatures occupied, and harvest rates by anglers were generally similar among species and seasons. The movement patterns and thermal habitats of salmonines in Lake Ontario generally were in the mid-range of those report for conspecifics in other large lakes and the North Pacific Ocean.
  • Diel and seasonal movements of White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the mid-Columbia River.

    Haynes, James M.; Gray, R.H. (Fishery Bulletin, 1981)
    In the mid-Columbia River, radio-tagged White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) exhibited seasonal and diel movement patterns from 1975-1977. Seasonally, movements >2 km away from release locations began in spring when water temperature exceeded 13 oC and ended in autumn when water temperature fell below 13 oC. Daily, sturgeon exhibited movements among habitats with different substrates, as measured by changes in water temperature during 24-h diel periods. Movement to cooler, deeper areas of the river occurred before sunrise, while movement to warmer, shallower areas peaked after sunset. Because water temperatures varied by only a few tenths of a degree among substrate areas, it is likely that photoperiod influenced sturgeon movements between deeper, darker resting areas and shallower, food-rich feeding areas.
  • Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in Southwestern Lake Ontario Following Invasion of Dreissena: Continuing Change

    Haynes, James M.; Stewart, Timothy W.; Cook, George E. (International Association of Great Lakes Research, 1999)
    Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were compared and quantified at natural cobble and artificial reef sites in Lake Ontario in 1983 (pre0-Dreissena invasion), and in both 1991-1992 and 1995 (1 to 2 and 5 years post-Dreissena invasion, respectively). Diversity and abundance of non-dreissenid macroinvertebrates generally rose from 1983 to 1991-1992, but returned to 1983 levels or lower by 1995. Although community similarity (excluding Dreissena from analysis) remained high across study years, the 1995 invertebrate community more closely resembled the pre-Dreissena community of pre-1983 than the initial post-Dreissena community of 1991-1992 because of recent declines in the absolute abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates. In particular, gastropods responded negatively to Dreissena or to associated benthic habitat or community changes that occurred from 1991-1992 to 1995. These results suggest that short- and long-term effects of Dreissena on other organisms may be quite different, and illustrate the need for long-term monitoring of biological communities in order to more fully determine effects of invasive species or other environmental perturbations on ecosystems.
  • Response of Sport Fishes to Thermal Discharges into the Great Lakes: Is Somerset Station, Lake Ontario, Different?

    Haynes, James M.; Gerber, Glenn P.; Buttner, Joseph K. (International Association of Great Lakes Research, 1989)
    To assess potential thermal impacts of Somerset Generating Station on sport fishes, the frequencies and durations of encountering the thermal discharge at Somerset Station were determined by tagging 121 salmonines and 58 centrarchids with temperature-sensing radiotransmitters. Encounters of the Lake Ontario shoreline occupied by Somerset Station averaged 0.7 and 0.1 per fish for salmonines and centrarchids, respectively. Salmonines averaged 5.5 h at the station per encounter. Four centrarchids established residence areas in the lake near the station for 29-79 d; others averaged 3.5 d at the station. Salmonines and centrarchids occupied waters off Somerset Station on 6.7% and 16.0% respectively, of the days they were tracked. No temperatures occupied by fish at the station exceeded critical thermal maxima for salmonines (20 - 25 degrees C) or centrarchids (30 - 37 degrees C). Salmonines occupied heated water >2 degrees C above ambient lake temperatures on 1.3% of the 1,983 occasions when temperatures were recorded, while centrarchids averaged 0.1% of 1,773 observations. Rare encounters of and lack of attraction to the thermal discharge were attributed to characteristics of the discharge (600+ m offshore, small delta T, small volume/area), to unremarkable lake habitat (flat bottom, physically similar to other regions of southcentral Lake Ontario), and to the generally wide-ranging movements of fishes in Lake Ontario. Comparing results from Somerset Station with similar studies at other Great Lakes power stations suggests that discharge design and lake habitat importantly influence the extent of fish attraction to thermal discharges.
  • Movements of Rainbow Steelhead Trout (Salmo Gairdneri) in Lake Ontario and a Hypothesis for the Influence of Spring Thermal Structure

    Haynes, James M.; Voiland, Michael P.; Olson, Robert A.; Winter, Jimmy D. (International Association of Great Lakes Research, 1986)
    To examine movements of rainbow/steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) and associated environmental influences, 28 fish were radiotagged in and near a tributary of Lake Ontario during spring spawning runs in 1981 and 1982. Trout initially entering the lake from the tributary generally exhibited east-west reversals of movement along the southern shore of Lake Ontario before dispersing offshore. Seasonal movement rates averages 3.2 +/- 1.6 km/d over periods of 6 - 94 d; mean short term rates were 0.50 +/- 0.46 km/h. Temperatures occupied in the lake were 9.1 +/- 3.8 degrees C. Movements offshore and ultimate disappearances occurred from April to July, but were most pronounced when temperatures near shore exceeded 10 degrees C. By linking trout movements to seasonal thermal structure in Lake Ontario, a testable hypothesis was established to explain the distribution of rainbow trout in spring and early summer. Based on tracking data, information provided by south shore anglers, and literature on the physical limnology of Lake Ontario, we hypothesize that rainbow trout disperse off shore in spring with thermal fronts, particularly in the 6 - 8 degree C zone known as the spring thermocline.
  • Finding Salmon and Trout in Lake Ontario, 1985

    Haynes, James M. (Charter Industry Trade News, 1985-03)
    Using radiotelemetry and vertical gill nets, we studied the movements and habitat preferences of brown trout (Salmo trutta), steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Chinook Salmon (O. tshawytscha), Coho Salmon (O. kisutch) and Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Ontario. No species were available for radio tagging in the summer, Brown Trout and Chinook and Coho Salmon were available in the fall, and Brown Trout and Steelhead were available in the spring. Steelhead responded strongly to offshore thermal breaks at the surface in the spring. Vertical gill nets in the summer captured Brown Trout just above the thermocline and Lake Trout below it, while Chinook Salmon ranged widely a above and below the thermocline. Our studies helped Lake Ontario anglers to increase their catches of stocked salmonids in the lake.
  • Environmental impact assessment: Melding classroom instruction with problem-solving experience

    Haynes, James M.; Thorburn, Gary W.; Gannon, John E. (National Science Teachers Association, 1982)
    Undergraduates were presented with realistic environmental situation (building a marina in a stream mouth/ wetland on the Lake Ontario shoreline). After learning about state and federal laws and procedures for environmental impact analysis, they sampled and identified terrestrial and aquatic organisms that might be affected by marina construction, operation and dredging (and researched literature about those topics) then in teams of 3-5 students wrote separate Environmental Impact Statements for the proposed project. Students gained real world experience that would help them with future employment opportunities.
  • Zebra Mussels and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities of Southwestern Lake Ontario and Selected Tributaries: Unexpected Results?

    Haynes, James M. (Great Lakes Research Review, 1997-04)
    Since the zebra mussel (Dreissna polymorpha) colonized the Great Lakes Ecosystem, ecologists and managers have expressed concern about potential impacts it would have on native benthic macroinvertebrate communities in lakes and streams. We compared post-Dreissena invasion data (1991-1992) with pre-invasion data (1983) from the same sites in Lake Ontario. Dreissena was the overwhelmingly dominant taxon in 1991-1992. Nevertheless, the overall abundance of other benthic macroinvertebrates, and the number of taxa collected, were greater following establishment of Dreissena. Our study failed to provide evidence that Dreissena had induced a population in any non-bivalve taxon that was present in 1983. The invasion of Dreissena and other recent environmental changes appear to have created conditions that are more favorable for most benthic macroinvertebrate taxa in the nearshore region of Lake Ontario. We also asked why zebra mussels have not colonized many creeks in Western New York, some with apparently ideal habitat, that are fed partially by water from the Erie Canal which is a source of Dreissena larvae. Counts of Dreissena larvae and counts of chlorophyll a were much higher in the canal than in out study creek, yet water quality, current velocity and particulate organic carbon concentrations in the creak and the canal were very similar. Four factors appear to limit colonization of creeks by the zebra mussel: 1) Retention of larvae by wetlands through which discharges from the canal often flow, 2) Filtering of phytoplankton and larvae by dense beds of adult zebra mussels often found at the beginning of channels connecting the canal to creeks, 3) Inappropriate food quality (e.g., lack of small0diameter phytoplankton with important fatty-acid constituents) reaching creeks from the canal, or 4) Muddy substrates inappropriate for attachment and filter-feeding by Dreissena.
  • Stressed Stream Analysis--Addressing Environmental Problems in Local Communities

    Haynes, James M. (Journal of College Science teaching, 1998-09)
    Science education is routinely accomplished within relatively narrow disciplines, but by its nature, environmental science must involve many disciplines to be effective.
  • Influence of Little Goose Dam on Upstream Movements of Adult Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

    Haynes, James M.; Gray, Robert H. (Fishery Bulletin, 1980)
    A major environmental and economic concern in the Pacific Northwest is the continuing decline in the numbers of Columbia and Snake River salmonids. The author used radiotelemetry to evaluate effect of Little Goose Dam on the movements of chinook salmon in the lower Snake River, and compared the results with those of previous studies at other dams.
  • Spawning Migration of Adult Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Carrying External and Internal Radio Transmitters

    Gray, Robert J.; Haynes, James M. (Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 1979-04-30)
    Upstream movements of radio-tagged and control adult chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were monitored during the spring and fall 1976 and spring 1977 in the lower Snake River, southeastern Washington. Travel time from point of fish release and percent return to upstream tracking facilities were compared for experimental and control fish. Experimental fish carried anchor tags, and either internal or external radio transmitters. Control fish carried anchor tags only. Chinook salmon that lost external transmitters moved upriver more slowly than control fish although percent returns to upriver trapping facilities were similar. Travel times and percent returns of chinook salmon that retained external transmitters did not differ significantly from control fish. Although some salmon tagged with internal transmitters moved upriver, all failed to cross Little Goose Dam 6.5 km from the release site. Most internally tagged salmon eventually travelled downstream.
  • Methods for Sampling Reef Fishes, with Emphasis on the Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), in the Gulf of Mexico: Is Stock Assessment Feasible?

    Haynes, James M. (U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Mississippi Laboratories, 1990-10)
    Reef fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly snappers (Lutjanidae) and groupers (Serranidae), occupy restricted live bottom habitats that are subjected to intense commercial and recreational fishing. Reliable, fishery-dependent stock assessment methods are needed to make sound population estimates, protect important fishery resources and habitats, and to maintain viable, co-existing commercial and recreational fisheries.
  • Finding Salmon and Trout in Lake Ontario, 1983

    Haynes, James M. (Water Spectrum, 1983)
    Where do you catch salmon and trout in a 7500 square mile with an average depth of 280 feet and a bottom structure resembling a soup bowl? Millions of juvenile salmon and trout are stoked annually in Lake Ontario, yet angles frequently ask this question. With funding and support from the New York Sea Grant Institute, the Research Foundation of the State University of New York, and local anglers' groups, faculty and student researchers at the SUNY Colleges at Brockport and Fredonia are studying the movements, distribution, and habitat preferences of salmon and trout in Lake Ontario. By attaching radiotransmitters to fish and setting nets as far as 15 miles out into the lake, researchers are providing answers to both anglers' and scientists' questions about the ecology of salmon and trout stocked in Lake Ontario.
  • Movements and Behavior of Smallmouth Bass, Micopterus dolomieul, and Rock Bass, Ambloplites rupestris, in Southcentral Lake Ontario and Two Tributaries

    Gerber, Glenn P.; Haynes, James M. (Oikos Publishers, Inc., 1988-12)
    movements and behavior of 56 stream-spawning smallmouth bass and rock bass from Lake Ontario were examined in spring and summer 1985 and 1986. Fish were captured by electrofishing near spawning areas in two tributaries 60 km apart, fitted with temperature-sensing radiotransmitters and released in their "home" tributaries or or displaced to the lake 3 - 10 km from those tributaries. twenty-six percent of displaces smallmouth bass and 42% of rock bass returned to their original sites of capture in tributaries. Non-homing fish generally dispersed along the lake shore and eventually established small residence areas in the lake, often near home or other tributaries. No differences were observed in movement rates, temperatures occupied or diel activity patterns between years or tributary stocks, but differences were found between species and between lake and tributary habitats for smallmouth bass. Smallmouth bass homing to, or released in, tributaries generally established home ranges downstream from spawning areas and often occupied tributaries all summer, but rock bass did not. Both species occupied temperatures between 20-22 C in lake and tributary habitats when available. Smallmouth bass were most active in May, least active in July and generally more active in the lake than in tributaries. Rock bass activity did not appear to vary by season or habitat. Both specie were most active in Lake Ontario in mid-day; differences in tributaries were less pronounced.

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