'It will lead to a catastrophe:' U.S. federal job cuts will harm the Great Lakes, Canadian scientists say

After the United States government fired hundreds of people at the nation's weather, ocean and fisheries agency last week, Canadian scientists are warning that this will have "catastrophic" effects on the Great Lakes. 

The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, run by billionaire Elon Musk, cut its latest round of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including technicians who work with Canadian scientists to monitor water quality and levels in the lakes. 

"It's a mission that takes participation from both sides equally and constantly," said Jerome Marty, the executive director of the International Association for Great Lakes Research and a professor at the University of Ottawa. 

"Everything we do in terms of managing the Great Lakes is binational," he said. "We don't do one thing on one side of the border and not on the other. Everything is coordinated."

Several Canadian and American organizations that study and monitor the Great Lakes work together to compile their findings, said Mike McKay, director of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research in Windsor, Ont. 

"I guess this really speaks to an overreliance that we have on some of NOAA's programs," said McKay, whose work relies on a collaboration with U.S. coast guards to collect water quality samples and monitor ice conditions in the lakes.

Scientists also collaborate across the border on Great Lakes research around invasive species, flood control and climate change.

"Where we live in Southwestern Ontario, we're surrounded by the Great Lakes on three sides – that is our world," said Lake Huron Coastal Centre co-founder Pat Donnelly, adding that the lakes are a source of drinking water, livelihood and recreation for many. 

Water safety, fisheries most affected by cuts

With fewer American scientists, Marty said this will cause two main problems for the Great Lakes: less tracking of blue-green algae and a proliferation of sea lampreys.

Blue-green algae blooms pop up in parts of the Great Lakes every spring, said Marty, and they can become toxic to humans and animals who touch or drink the water. 

Researchers in the U.S. and Canada work together to monitor algae levels in the lakes to make decisions about limiting access to water at the beach or for drinking. 

They also keep track of sea lampreys, an invasive species that Marty said has harmed over 80 per cent of native fish in some lakes, which in turn affects fisheries. To keep sea lampreys at bay, technicians apply a chemical to streams in the spring to kill their larvae before they can spawn.

"This is not something we do because we think bad things can happen. We do this because bad things have happened already," said Marty, pointing to a spike in sea lampreys during the pandemic, when researchers were not in the field as frequently. 

"There are things we don't know, but I guarantee that if we pause the monitoring of the Great Lakes and the management that is in place, I am confident that it will lead to a catastrophe and impact humans," he said.

Scientists want more support from both countries

Marty said he wants to see politicians in the U.S. push back against the cuts, especially in municipalities that rely on drinking water from the lakes. 

Meanwhile, McKay said he wants to see Canada put forth more funding for Great Lakes management. 

"This could be an opportunity for Canada to step up its game," he said. "I think it follows suit with a lot of other arguments we're hearing right now about Canada becoming less reliant on the U.S."

Last year, the federal government pledged $76 million to support 50 projects to restore waterways and coastal areas around the Great Lakes, which McKay said is a good start. 

The scientists also emphasize that work on the lakes goes beyond borders. 

"The Trump administration is dreaming about walls in the southern border with Mexico, but we can't have a wall in the Great Lakes," Marty said.