"I am investigating the effects of two highly successful non-indigenous species, the spiny water flea (Bythotrephes longimanus) and zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on lake whitefish populations in Ontario. I am interested in how lake whitefish respond to these invaders, and whether or not proposed responses to these invaders observed on the Great Lakes can also be observed in infested inland lakes. To be able to identify lakes with whitefish that are exposed to these invaders, I have used the OFAH invasive species database to cross-reference with a database on lakes with existing whitefish data. As a result, I have been able to identify a number of lakes invaded by either spiny water flea, dreissenid mussels, or both, that also possess historic data with which to compare current samples. Without this information from the OFIS, this selection process would have been monumentally more difficult, if not impossible to do in a reasonable time frame. Additionally, I suspect that this information will be of great value to others who pursue similar avenues of investigation in the future."

"One of my long-term research goals at York University is to quantify the impacts of non-indigenous species, particularly the spiny water flea Bythotrephes, on pelagic food webs of Ontario's inland lakes. This goal requires knowledge of the rates of spread and establishment success of Bythotrephes. As there are thousands of Shield lakes, this is a very difficult task, beyond the capacity of one university lab. The volunteer zebra mussel and spiny water flea monitoring program run by OFAH's invading species awareness program is the only group that has worked to quantify the spatial and temporal aspects of the spread of these two invaders in Ontario's inland lakes. The resulting data have been extremely useful to me and other spiny water flea researchers for a number of reasons; (1) to identify lakes best able to address particular questions on invaders, (2) to provide data sets to develop and test models of the spread and colonization success of invaders, and (3) to provide the basis for very interesting graduate student research projects and advanced training in the ecology of invasions. Ontario researchers are now recognized as world leaders in understanding the impacts of the spiny water flea on inland lakes. This prominence would not have been achieved without the input of OFAH's volunteer-based sampling program. I hope it continues for many years into the future."