News — SYRACUSE, N.Y. – April 3, 2025 – The has been awarded a $217,070 grant from the New York Sea Grant to study coastal wetlands.
The project, led by Drs. and from ESF’s Department of Environmental Biology, aims to improve ecosystem resilience and health of juvenile fish in these vital habitats.
Coastal wetlands are crucial for providing animals with food and shelter during disturbances. However, these ecosystems are under threat from rapidly spreading non-native aquatic plants, climate change, and dam regulation. Northern pike, native predators in the St. Lawrence River, have been forced to spawn in less optimal, deeper nearshore areas due to the invasive hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca) and water level regulation.
Cranberry Lake in the Adirondacks, connected to the St. Lawrence River, is a popular spot for northern pike fishing. Unlike the St. Lawrence River, which is heavily affected by non-native aquatic plants, Cranberry Lake remains relatively unaffected.
The researchers will compare these two ecosystems to understand how disturbances from non-native plants, climate change, and dam regulation impact them. They aim to determine how the availability of wetland forage and habitat is altered by non-native plants and how this affects ecosystem function. The findings are expected to inform water level and aquatic plant management to support healthy wetland refugia. The research will be conducted at ESF’s on the St. Lawrence River and in the Adirondacks.
“Northern pike are important native predators in the St. Lawrence River, but they are faced with habitat decline in wetlands now dominated by non-native aquatic plants; in Cranberry Lake, northern pike are non-native, but they thrive among native wetland plants,” said Arsenault. “By understanding each of these ecosystems in light of the other, we hope that our project will help point to solutions for managing healthy wetlands across New York state.”
" is excited to support impactful research at ESF investigating effects of habitat modification on the ecologically and economically significant sport fish, Northern pike, in New York state,” said New York Sea Grant Director Dr. Becky Shuford. “Dr. Arsenault's and Dr. Farrell's work will compare Northern pike populations within two wetland habitats along the St. Lawrence River and in Cranberry Lake to broaden local knowledge as well as contribute to development of solutions for effective management of this important species.”
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.
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