Terms of Reference

Binational Ecological Risk Assessment for Grass Carp in the Great Lakes Basin

Regional Peer Review Meeting - Central and Arctic Region

June 1-3, 2015
Cleveland, Ohio

Chairperson: Gilles Olivier

Context

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are currently threatening the Great Lakes as evidence of reproduction has been found in the American waters of the Lake Erie basin. Canadian and American agencies share a similar goal to prevent the establishment, spread and consequences of Grass Carp into the Great Lakes. Previously published information, compiled data and new research will be used to assess the risk of Grass Carp to the Great Lakes. The scientifically defensible results will provide useful management and decision making advice for both sides of the border focusing on all aspects of the probability of introduction (likelihood of arrival, survival, establishment, and spread), and the magnitude of the ecological consequences of Grass Carp in the Great Lakes basin. Ecological risk assessment experts from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the US Geological Survey, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service will use best available research results to draft an ecological risk assessment following guidelines provided by DFO’s Centre of Expertise for Aquatic Risk Assessment (CEARA). These results will be peer reviewed by experts on risk assessment, freshwater invasive fishes, Great Lakes wetlands, and ecosystem modelling from both Canada and the United States in order to provide advice on questions asked by managers and decision makers at a previously held scoping meeting (December 2014). The results of the ecological risk assessment will subsequently be used to conduct a separate socio-economic impact analysis. The results of both the ecological risk assessment and the socio-economic impact analysis will form two separate pieces of advice for managers and decision makers to use when determining courses of action regarding prevention, monitoring, early detection, rapid response, management, and control of Grass Carp.

Objectives

The objective of the meeting is to collect expert advice on the following aspects of the draft risk assessment documents.

• Are components missing from the draft documents?
• Are the determined risk ratings scientifically sound and defensible?
• Are the limitations of the studies clearly outlined?

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• Research Document(s)

Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Ecosystems and Oceans Science)
• Great Lakes Fishery Commission
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• US Geological Survey
• Invited experts on risk assessment, freshwater invasive fishes, Great Lakes wetlands, and ecosystem modelling from both Canada and the United States