RESEARCH Great Lakes Management: Ecological Factors

W. C. SONZOGNI 1" Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2300 Washtenaw Avenue Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 A. ROBERTSON Office of Marine Pollution Assessment National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Rockville, Maryland 20852 A. M. BEETON Great Lakes and Marine Waters Center University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 ABSTRACT / Although attempts to improve the quality of the Great Lakes generally focus on chemical pollution, other factors are important and should be considered Ecological factors, such as invasion of the lakes by foreign spec!es, habitat changes, overlishing, and random variations in organism populations, are especially influential. Lack of appreciation of the significance of ecological factors stems partly from the inappropriate application of the concept of eutrophication to the Great Lakes. Emphasis on ecological factors is not intended to diminish the seriousness of pollution, but rather to point out that more cost-effective management, as well as more realistic expectations of management efforts by the public, should result from an ecosystem management approach in which ecological factors are carefully considered.