By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – Biology experts working to save a St. Lawrence River creature in rapid decline have plenty of new resources, thanks to a $59,300 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
SDSG MPP Jim McDonell joined Paulette Hébert, OTF representative, in congratulating the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences prior to its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday.
“We are thrilled to utilize this grant for staff development and implementation of innovative mechanisms to support our research, education, and outreach,” said Dr. Jeff Ridal, River Institute executive director.
“The American Eel is an endangered species that needs our support – we hope to create a community of eel-lovers through this initiative.”
Ridal says the grant will help develop a campaign framework that focuses on the American eel project and integrates website upgrades, community awareness building, and fundraising strategies to support the work.
According to local scientists, eel populations in the Great Lakes system declined severely in the 1990s due to habitat loss, overfishing, and climate change. The average number of eels migrating up the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall
decreased to roughly 40,000 in 2013, from one million in the 1980s.
“The River Institute is well recognized for excellence in studying and preserving our biodiversity,” said McDonell.
“This grant will enable the institute to work at helping us maintain our region of the river in good health so that the many participants in our river’s ecosystem, including the American eel, will remain in good health and prosper for years to come.”
The institute was established in 1994 as a unique community partnership involving government, education, business and industry, and the Mohawks of Akwesasne. Its mandate is environmental research and education with a focus on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River ecosystem. It has earned an international reputation for its fresh water ecosystem research projects.
