Editorial

Abstract

The Bay of Quinte research program (known as Project Quinte), beginning in 1972, represents the longest continuing multi-agency project in the Great Lakes. Originally it was designed to assess the impact of nutrient levels on aquatic communities before and after the implementation of phosphorus controls. These early research efforts were synthesized and presented by Minns et al. (1986). Since this original publication, the scope of the project has expanded beyond its initial focus of eutrophication to include the impacts of exotic species, as well as climate change on this area of concern (Figure 1).A review of Project Quinte indicated that an integrated, holistic overview was needed to document the ecosystem changes in the Bay of Quinte. After all, it has been nearly 25 years since the last one! A committee of scientists was established from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (C.K. Minns, M. Koops, and M. Munawar) to undertake the organization of a comprehensive publication. The committee's efforts included contacting various scientists working on the Bay and convening three workshops. This resulted in a commitment to convene a symposium and to publish several manuscripts which will comprise two special issues of AEHM. The 53rd Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) in Toronto, Ontario in May 2010 provided an excellent opportunity to convene the symposium on the Ecosystem Health and Recovery of the Bay of Quinte, co-sponsored by the AEHMS.Following the symposium, the papers were submitted for peer review. The present issue consists of 11 papers with a wide range of topics, including: historical conditions, climate change, lower trophic levels, higher trophic levels, contaminants and management. This, the first of the two Bay of Quinte issues, is the 34th special issue of AEHM published since 1998.I would sincerely like to thank Drs. Ken Minns and Marten Koops for their efforts and continued support in the development and publication of this special issue. The AEHMS staff: Lisa Elder, Jennifer Lorimer and Susan Blunt, provided solid technical support. Thanks are also due to Iftekhar F. Munawar, Managing Editor for her advice. The assistance of Mark Fitzpatrick and Heather Niblock is also acknowledged. We are very grateful to Drs. Joe Leach and Ed Mills for their reviews.Hopefully this compendium of long term research will significantly enhance our understanding of the health and recovery of the Bay of Quinte ecosystem, and will be useful to all researchers interested in the elimination of beneficial use impairments and restoration of stressed aquatic ecosystems.