• INTRODUCTION
• RECOMMENDATIONS
• 1. GREAT LAKES SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD
• 2. GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY BOARD
• 3. INTERNATIONAL AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD
• 4. COUNCIL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH MANAGERS
• 5. LAKE ERIE TASK FORCE
• 6. OTHER PRIORITIES: ANNEX 2 REVIEW, INDICATORS, PESTICIDES AND RADIOACTIVITY

In the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the United States and Canada (the Parties) agreed "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem." To achieve this purpose, the Parties have undertaken numerous programs, policies and other measures and have obligated themselves to periodic reporting on their progress.

The International Joint Commission's (IJC) role is to evaluate and assess the Parties' programs and provide a report at least every two years that presents its findings, advice and recommendations. To fulfill its evaluative role, IJC relies upon numerous sources. Major sources of information and assistance are the two joint institutions established under the Agreement -- the Great Lakes Water Quality Board (WQB) and the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board (SAB).

As principal advisor to IJC, WQB is composed of 20 program managers and administrators drawn from the two federal governments, the eight states and two provinces in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin. SAB, whose 18 members represent a broad range of disciplines, provides science advice to both IJC and WQB.

To provide advice related to Great Lakes research, IJC in 1984 established a Council of Great Lakes Research Managers, whose 22 members are responsible for research programs related to implementation of the Agreement. Given the significance of the air as a pathway by which contaminants reach the waters of the Great Lakes, IJC relies on its International Air Quality Advisory Board (IAQAB), established in 1966 under the auspices of the Boundary Waters Treaty, to provide advice in this regard. IJC also establishes task forces and other groups to address specific issues or subjects that are particularly germane to fulfilling the Agreement purpose.

Recognizing the need to secure the views and opinions of basin stakeholders, IJC also engages in a variety of public consultation activities. The information received from this broad-based consultation contributes significantly to the insight, advice and recommendations that IJC provides to governments through its biennial reports.

To focus its human and financial resources, IJC relies on a biennial priority setting process. The priorities for the current 1995-97 cycle were drafted in summer 1995, presented publicly for discussion at the September 1995 biennial meeting held in Duluth, Minnesota and formally adopted by IJC Commissioners on November 20, 1995. Subsequently, IJC undertook additional work related to indicators to evaluate Agreement progress and also defined the nature of the work to be undertaken in support of Annex 2 of the Agreement. The 1995-97 priorities are summarized in the following table. Responsibility to undertake the priorities was assigned to WQB, SAB, IAQAB, the Council, the Lake Erie Task Force, the Nuclear Task Force, the Indicators Implementation Task Force, and the Annex 2 Advisory Committee.

The six chapters in this report were prepared by the group or groups responsible for the identified priorities. They define and describe the specific investigations undertaken to support each priority and present the groups' findings, conclusions and recommendations. No attempt was made to harmonize the content or recommendations, as they represent each group's particular advice to IJC with respect to their charge and obligations.

This report is the second in a series. The first, published in August 1995, presented findings and advice for priorities established for IJC's 1993-95 biennial cycle.

COMMISSION PRIORITIES FOR 1995-97

PRIORITY	PERSISTENT TOXIC SUBSTANCES: IMPACT ON HUMAN AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
SUMMARY	Assemble and consider new evidence particularly pertaining to the disruption of the endocrine system of wildlife and humans by the 11 critical pollutants and other persistent toxic substances, and the effect of these substances on the neurobehaviour of animals and humans. Evaluate any progress made in reducing or eliminating effects as well as identification of policy issues.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Science Advisory Board Support: Water Quality Board and Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	1.2.1 - Trends in concentrations and effects 1.2.2 - Neurobehavioural toxicology and policy implications 2.4 - Uniform and fully protective fish consumption advisories 4.2.3 - Research contributions
PRIORITY	PERSISTENT TOXIC SUBSTANCES: SIGNIFICANT SOURCES AND PATHWAYS, MEASUREMENT AND REDUCTION / ELIMINATION
SUMMARY	Identify significant pathways for persistent toxic substances to the Great Lakes. Identify and quantify persistent toxic substances in the air, their human health and other effects, and suggest ways to decrease levels and effects. Identify air deposition from sources internal and external to the basin. Assess current information on research about emissions from incinerators and their contribution to persistent toxic substance loadings to the basin. Review activities of the U.S. and Canadian governments under long-range transport of air pollutants. Evaluate global reduction / elimination strategies and assess their implication in existing and possible future strategies for the Great Lakes.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Water Quality Board and International Air Quality Advisory Board Support: Science Advisory Board
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	3.3.1 - Overview 3.3.2 - Key needs and priorities for problem assessment 3.3.3 - Key needs and priorities for problem response 3.3.4 - atmospheric transport and deposition, mass balance modelling and deposition monitoring, progress in emission reduction, beyond compliance programs 3.2 - Policy statement: municipal waste incineration 1.3.1 - PCBs: new equilibrium? 1.3.3 - SOLEC: purpose and utility 2.3 - Strategies 2.5 - Sale of mercury 4.2.3 - Research contribution
PRIORITY	PERSISTENT TOXIC SUBSTANCES: REMEDIATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT
SUMMARY	Assess government activities and programs; identify available options and technologies for remediation, destruction and storage of persistent toxic substances in sediments, with particular consideration to the contaminated sediment component of RAPs and LaMPs, including methods of funding and public acceptance of the approaches.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Water Quality Board Support: Science Advisory Board and Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	2.2 - Overcoming sediment remediation obstacles
PRIORITY	PESTICIDES
SUMMARY	Because of potential impacts on fish and wildlife population and considerations of human health, assess changes in pesticide usage patterns and application rates, thereby helping to evaluate ongoing Parties' programs.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Great Lakes Regional Office
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	6.3 - Workshop and public consultation
PRIORITY	IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH
SUMMARY	Given substantial budget cuts and scientific staff reductions to Great Lakes research programs, investigate improving the effectiveness of research by eliminating duplication, sharing information and programs to protect needed research, and identify cost-saving strategies.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Council of Great Lakes Research Managers, in consultation with Great Lakes researchers
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	4.2.2 - Budget survey: funding reductions 4.2.3 - White paper: improving research effectiveness 4.2.4 - Advice from public meeting 4.2.5 - Advice from SOLEC session 4.2.6 - Advice from IAGLR plenary 4.3 - Research inventory status
PRIORITY	LAKE ERIE ECOLOGICAL MODEL
SUMMARY	Develop the framework and infrastructure necessary to sustain a process for ecosystem modelling of Lake Erie, thereby increasing understanding of that lake's ecosystem and leading to enhanced ability to evaluate Agreement progress and render resource management decisions. Adjust and improve the 1994-95 Lake Erie model by incorporating further proposed modifications. Consider also health issues related to persistent toxic substances.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Lake Erie Task Force Support: Water Quality Board, Science Advisory Board and Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	5 - Task Force investigations, model development and use
PRIORITY	INDICATORS
SUMMARY	To implement the advice provided by the Indicators for Evaluation Task Force in 1996
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Indicators Implementation Task Force
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	6.2 - Task Force investigations
PRIORITY	ANNEX 2: REMEDIAL ACTION PLANS AND LAKEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLANS
SUMMARY	To assist the Parties in the development and implementation of RAPs and LaMPs through: conducting status assessments to evaluate activities, workshops to transfer information and foster implementation, and RAP and LaMP reviews in order to gauge progress toward restoration of beneficial uses.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Annex 2 Advisory Committee
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	6.1.1 - AOC special report 1.3.2 - AOC site visits: Detroit River and Hamilton Harbour 6.1.2 - AOC status assessments: Detroit River and Hamilton Harbour 6.1.3 - Creative funding 6.1.4 - Partnerships for progress 4.2.3 - Research effectiveness 2.6 - Future of RAPs 6.1.5 - LaMP status
PRIORITY	NUCLEAR
SUMMARY	Provide an inventory of radionuclides in the basin
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: Nuclear Task Force
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	6.4 - Task Force investigations, radioactivity sources, monitoring data, inventories and findings
PRIORITY	OTHER
SUMMARY	Identify and provide insight and advice on other topics relevant to fulfilling the Agreement purpose and in accordance to the directives to WQB and SAB, including emerging issues.
RESPONSIBILITY	Lead: All
PRODUCT (CHAPTER)	1.4.1 - Governance 1.4.2 - Ecological economics 1.4.3 - Aquatic system foodweb dynamics 1.4.4 - Public survey: emerging issues identification 2.7 - Importance of Great Lakes issues other than persistent toxic substances 2.8 - Linking local watershed management efforts 2.9 - Practical and cost effective watershed management 2.10 - Habitat 2001

The following 40 recommendations were developed by the Science Advisory Board, the Water Quality Board, the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers and the Lake Erie Task Force for the Commission's consideration. Substantiating details are provided in the sections indicated.

SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD

Environmental Results: Trends in Concentrations and Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances

SAB recommends the following.

• The Parties commit to the long-term funding of herring gull egg and lake trout monitoring projects and formalize these projects as programs by naming them in the Agreement.
• The Parties formalize the use of addled eggs and sampled bald eagle blood as biological materials suitable for establishing trends in the concentrations of organochlorine pollutants in Great Lakes biota.
• The Parties make funding available to sample, radiodate and analyze representative sediment cores for persistent toxic substances from each Great Lake and results be made available to researchers undertaking retrospective injury assessment.
• The Parties formally name species to be used as indicators in relation to the virtual elimination policy contained in the Agreement and devise and implement a formal bilateral program for long-term monitoring of the changes in the observed rates of embryotoxic and functional teratogenic effects.
• The Parties request the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and fish and wildlife agencies to consider whether population declines and extirpations of certain Great Lakes fish and mammals during this century might be attributable, in part, to exposures to persistent toxic substances.
• The Parties investigate the feasibility of devising and implementing a formal program pursuant to the Agreement to document trends in the observed rates and severity of functional teratogenic effects on humans caused by exposures to persistent toxic substances.
• The Parties use information from studies of the structural teratogenic effects of contaminants in populations of wildlife as sentinels for teratogenic effects in humans.

PCBs, A New Equilibrium? Workshop on Steady State

SAB recommends the following.

• The Parties increase funding for monitoring PCBs and other persistent toxic substances in Great Lakes biota, air, water and sediment.

RAP Progress: Site Visits to Two Areas of Concern

SAB recommends the following.

• IJC develop a systematic framework for evaluating RAPs.

State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference

SAB recommends the following.

• The Parties clarify to IJC the role of the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference in fulfilling their obligation to report on the status of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.
• The Parties invite IJC's collaboration in preparation of SOLEC '98 and that IJC clarify how it proposes to fulfil its evaluative role at the completion of that conference.

Governance

SAB recommends the following.

• The Parties, together with jurisdictional representatives and other basin stakeholders, form an expert binational committee to review the organizational and institutional arrangements that support the Agreement and offer recommendations needed to ensure the effective implementation of the Agreement in the 21st century.
• IJC diligently pursue its strategic-planning exercise through an inclusive process involving Commissioners, board members, staff, governments and all basin stakeholders.
• As part of the strategic-planning process, IJC identify program evaluation as the highest priority and initiate necessary budgetary, staffing and work plan adjustments to support this priority.
• IJC explore and pursue measures necessary to ensure that the Parties respond publicly to all IJC recommendations in a timely and substantive manner.
• IJC encourage the Parties to use the biennial State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference to provide an assessment of the state of the lakes as a basis for determining progress under the Agreement, as well as an opportunity to respond to IJC recommendations.
• The Parties conduct a review of the adequacy of the Agreement, given the evolving state of basin governance and the need for the Agreement and its institutions to both adapt to and influence that evolution.
• IJC document and quantify the benefits of its products and services in the form of a "return on investment" analysis for use by the Parties, legislative bodies and all basin stakeholders.
• IJC aggressively pursue the feasibility of alternative sources of funding to complement its current sole reliance on U.S. and Canadian federal appropriations.

Ecological Economics as an Emerging Issue

SAB recommends the following.

• The Parties commission a study, using the methods of ecological economics, to evaluate the practical value of utilizing the ecological economics approach.

Foodweb Dynamics in Aquatic Systems as an Emerging Issue

SAB recommends the following.

• Great Lakes researchers address water quality nutrient and contaminant issues, together with monitoring for a quantitative assessment of foodweb and production dynamics in the Great Lakes.
• IJC foster linkages and increased communication with agencies responsible for fisheries management and exotic species (e.g. the Great Lakes Fishery Commission).
• IJC develop an interdisciplinary task force similar to its Lake Erie Task Force to explore developments, models, monitoring and data needs on the effects of foodweb structure and nutrient loading on contaminant levels in biota.
• IJC encourage new research initiatives in the following areas:
  1. quantitative evaluation of foodweb structure and trophic transfer on a lakewide basis, including diet analysis;
  2. relationships of contaminant bioaccumulation in relation to size, age and condition of the predominant prey fish in the Great Lakes (e.g. bloater, alewife, rainbow smelt);
  3. sources (i.e. atmospheric, sediments, landfill sites) of contaminants to the foodweb, to answer where do PCBs in fish come from?;
  4. the consequences of changing foodweb structure on contaminant levels in fish (e.g. linkages with Lake Erie Ecological Modelling Project); and
  5. development of appropriate and innovative monitoring tools (e.g. growth rates) that can be used to detect foodweb changes that have an impact on contaminant cycling.

WATER QUALITY BOARD

Fish Consumption Advisories

WQB continues to recommend the following.

• IJC emphasize to the Parties the need for uniform and fully protective fish consumption advisories.

Remedial Action Plans

WQB recommends the following.

• The Parties and RAP stakeholder groups adopt a step-wise approach to use restoration and demonstration of incremental progress in order to sustain RAP processes.

Other Great Lakes Issues

WQB recommends the following.

• IJC keep a balanced perspective as it establishes and addresses its 1997-1999 priorities.

Watershed Management

WQB recommends the following.

• IJC encourage the Parties to quantify and communicate to all stakeholders the values and benefits of practical actions to protect and enhance habitats ensuring continued progress toward healthy and sustainable watersheds and ecosystems.

Habitat 2001

WQB recommends the following.

• Great Lakes water quality and fisheries institutions convene workshops and roundtable discussions focussing on sharing habitat knowledge and experiences, and transferring technologies, in order to help sustain management efforts, and to further progress toward endorsement of one common set of ecosystem objectives for each lake.

COUNCIL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH MANAGERS

Funding for Great Lakes Science

The Council recommends the following.

• The Parties, in cooperation with the jurisdictions, re-evaluate the direction, substance and mechanisms of proposed research program reductions in order to maintain the scientific foundation for management programs and to deliver on their commitments in the Agreement.
• IJC and the Parties take the view that investment in Great Lakes science results in substantial economic and ecosystem benefits.

Improving the Effectiveness of Great Lakes Research

The Council recommends the following.

• The use of existing partnership mechanisms continue and new mechanisms for establishing research partnerships be crafted with special emphasis on the formation of international partnerships.
• Government agencies collaborate with universities on focussed, client-driven research projects that will result in an improved scientific basis for management decisions.
• Researchers be actively involved in the decisionmaking processes of RAPs and LaMPs through membership on RAP and LaMP teams and advisory councils. In addition, research results must be incorporated in all RAP and LaMP reports to strengthen research management linkages.
• IJC, as a priority for the 1997-99 biennial cycle, address the effective communication of research results.
• Coordination of Great Lakes research vessels continue and IJC sponsor future vessel coordination workshops.
• To establish research priorities, government agencies share the responsibility with both scientists who are familiar with Great Lakes research needs and also users of research results.
• Government agencies support the concept of a lakewide, binational, coordinated, multi-institutional project that would cover all aspects of a given problem domain in a given system.

LAKE ERIE TASK FORCE

The Lake Erie Task Force recommends the following.

• IJC mandate its Council of Great Lakes Research Managers to provide a regular forum for Lake Erie modellers, researchers and managers to share information, discuss progress and explore potential linkages among complementary Lake Erie modelling initiatives.
• IJC use ecosystem models in its evaluation of progress under the Agreement.

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