**The title, authors, and abstract for this completion report are
provided below. For a copy of the completion report, please contact the
GLFC via e-mail or via telephone
at 734-662-3209**
Great Lakes ECOPATH Modeling
Workshops
2 USGS Great Lakes Science Center Lake Erie
Biological Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, Ohio 44870
3 USGS
Great Lakes Science Center, 1451 Green Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105
Abstract
The Great
Lakes Fishery Commission granted Science Transfer funds totaling $9600 to
support Great Lakes ecosystem modeling workshops with focus on the Ecopath with Ecosim modeling
software. Ecopath
with Ecosim was chosen because there were either
published models or models under development for all Laurentian Great Lakes
using this software. We held two
workshops during 28 Feb – 1 Mar and 12-13 July, 2011. Primary goals of the workshops were to 1)
identify and explore common challenges to ecosystem modeling across the Great
Lakes and 2) identify common patterns across the Great Lakes ecosystems. Workshop attendees were affiliated with
multiple universities and federal and state agencies from Canada and the U.S. The grant provided funding for attendant
lodging and meals during workshops with other travel money available in cases
where management agency budgets limited travel.
The grant also provided funding for two invited ecosystem modeling
experts to demonstrate new capabilities and innovative approaches to ecosystem
modeling. Workshop outcomes included the
formation of a cooperative group of Great Lakes ecosystem modelers, progress on
the development of a robust method for modeling invasive species in
time-dynamic ecosystem models, and new knowledge of tools available for making
ecosystem models useful to resource management.