ARE HABITAT REHABILITATION INITIATIVES UNCOUPLED FROM AQUATIC RESOURCE-MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES IN THE GREAT-LAKES

Surveys of the 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern have documented an incr eased recognition of the need for habitat rehabilitation and conservat ion. Although habitat rehabilitation and conservation initiatives are underway in all Areas of Concern, there appears frequently to be a lac k of connection between habitat rehabilitation initiatives and aquatic resource management objectives and the scientific method. This could be addressed by (1) placing a higher priority on establishing quantita tive fish community and habitat objectives for Areas of Concern to hel p evaluate and select appropriate habitat rehabilitation techniques; ( 2) increasing research and assessment efforts to quantify habitat-rela ted problems, establish cause-effect relationships, evaluate and selec t appropriate habitat rehabilitation techniques, and quantify effectiv eness relative to ecosystem structure and function; and (3) pooling av ailable data on habitat rehabilitation effectiveness to provide the ba sis for application of successful tools in other parts of the Great La kes basin ecosystem.