GENERAL ABSTRACT The Laurentian Great Lake wetlands are highly productive and complex systems. The net loss of wetlands since European settlement has been dramatic. The remaining coastal wetlands continue to be threatened with obliteration or severe environmental degradation. Therefore, the overall objective of this study was to provide information on the ecology of the remaining coastal wetlands within the lower Great Lakes. This study describes a coastal wetland fish community along the north shore of Lake Erie within Long Point Marsh complex over a 24-h period and catch characteristics of three common fishing techniques. The fish community was sampled at two hour intervals over a 24-h period in June, and used three types of gear to determine possible sampling biases from the different collection techniques. A total of 497 fish encompassing 11 taxa were collected. A 2-h interval, four hours prior to sunset, netted the largest number of taxa (including 3 functional feeding groups: ornmvores, planktivores, and piscivores ), as well as highest abundance and biomass values. Seine netting demonstrated a biased towards sampling the smaller planktivores, while fyke nets were biased towards larger omnivorous fish, and boat electrofishing was biased towards the large piscivores. These results will assist scientists and lake managers to develop standardized fish sampling protocol in order to accurately assess differences in wetland fish communities. Seven coastal wetlands within Lake Erie and Ontario along both the Canadian and United States shorelines were studied to verify predicted relationships from the literature and determine the relative influences of various habitat features on zooplankton community structure. Water quality, aquatic macrophyte, zooplankton, and fish community information were collected from the wetlands between July 4th and August 2nd of 2001. The predicted relationships from the literature concerning water quality and macrophyte species richness were verified by the results of this work. Water quality and macrophyte species richness were the most accurate predictors of wetland zooplankton community structure. Identifying the wetland characteristics that play primary roles in structuring zooplankton communities will also assist lake managers to make informed decisions of how to most effectively improve zooplankton habitat, to foster larger-bodied zooplankton populations, making the habitat more suitable for larger populations of larval and juvenile fish. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

No description available.

The Great Lakes Fish Eaters Project (Eaters Project) was funded by Health Canada to identify individuals consuming large amounts of Great Lakes fish (≥ 26 meals over the past 1 year period) and to document relevant contaminant information to describe the potential health risks and benefits associated with the consumption of fish from the Great Lakes. Data were analyzed on 91 participants in the Eaters Project. The Great Lakes are home to a wide variety of fish. In this study alone, the participants have collectively eaten over 35 different species of Great Lakes fish. The participants of this study were asked for their opinions on the environment and their health. In addition, blood work was completed on 89 participants. The laboratory results were collected on different contaminants. Seven contaminants were considered for modeling purposes since the laboratory value was above a pre-defined detection limit in greater than 75% of the participants in this study. These seven contaminants included six Organochlorine Pesticides: p,p'-DDE (100% of the participants above the detection limit), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (100%), β- hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) (92.1%), mirex (78.7%), oxychlordane (92.1%), transnonachlor (98.9%) and one Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congener, Aroclor 1260 (100%). Organic mercury was also modeled since it contributed on average 77.2% to a maximum of 97.5% of the total mercury value. A 2-stage modeling approach on linear and categorical variables was done as a hypothesis building exercise. Each contaminant was age-adjusted at the start of this modeling exercise. The age-adjusted contaminant was then used as the response variable in the second stage of the modeling of each specific contaminant. The gender (male and female) and country of birth (Canada/Europe/US and Asian) variables were confounded with each other. The model was be stratified on country of birth or on gender if one of the variables were found to be the only significant variable left in the full model. Not all the contaminants that were modeled had significant results. That is, there were levels of certain contaminants that the modeling approach could not explain. The country of birth (Canada/Europe/US and Asian) variable was important in the modeling of some of the contaminants. This suggested stratifying by the two country-of-birth groups. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

En réponse aux cycles de violences de masse et à la guerre civile qui ont jalonné son histoire douloureuse, le Burundi s’est engagé dans un processus de justice transitionnelle, officiellement depuis la signature des Accords de paix d’Arusha en 2000. Malgré la mobilisation des énergies internationales et l’omniprésence de la problématique au sein du débat public depuis douze ans, seules des consultations nationales destinées à recueillir l’avis de la population burundaise sur le sujet ont été organisées en 2009. Á l’aube de la mise en place d’une Commission Nationale de Vérité et de Réconciliation, à laquelle devrait être associé un tribunal spécial, le constat de la nature globale de la justice transitionnelle s’impose. Cette globalité s’exprime à travers le recours à des instruments à la fois judiciaires et extra-judiciaires mais également à des outils ayant vocation à s’appliquer de façon immédiate (ou conjoncturelle) et durable (ou structurelle). D’une part, dans une perspective normative et légaliste, le processus global de justice transitionnelle semble être cause d’inerties et de blocages comme peut a priori l’illustrer le cas du Burundi. D’autre part, à la lumière d’une approche systémique et inclusive, la globalité est au contraire source d’évolutions et d’émulations qui stimulent la créativité de la justice transitionnelle comme le démontre également le Burundi. Cette justice elle-même en transition est en réalité une justice réconciliatrice porteuse de doutes mais aussi d’espoirs. Elle est une justice complexe qui s’invente chaque jour, qui ne peut être efficace et efficiente qu’à condition d’être adaptée, légitime et appropriée par ceux à qui elle est destinée. Elle implique que soient trouvées des réponses satisfaisantes aux souffrances et aux besoins indissociables des victimes et des auteurs des violences de masse d’hier et des injustices sociales d’aujourd’hui. Elle a aussi pour ambition de prévenir la commission des crimes du futur en participant au renforcement de l’État de droit et, de façon plus globale, de rompre avec l’histoire de violences symboliques et actives subies et perpétrées au Burundi. / As an answer to cycles of mass violence in Burundi, a transitional justice process has been opened. The Burundian case study presents some particularities among this kind of process. Whereas the Arusha peace and reconciliation agreement for Burundi in 2000 decided setting up two transitional justice instruments, a special court and a Truth Reconciliation Commission, the transitional justice process has not begun yet. Only National Consultations were organized in 2009. The negotiations and the mediation occurred during the ongoing war. There were no winners and no losers but just armed men who decided to discuss in order to conquer the power and then to keep it. That may explain why negotiations were so longer and staggered. A sort of consociativisme system was set up in Burundi as the model organization of power-sharing. Inside the politic game of power-sharing the peace-justice dilemma appears through instrumentalization of retributive justice which is assimilated to justice and the truth and pardon which claim referring to peace. Another particularity is found regarding numerous judicial and legal reforms relatively to children rights, lands conflict, electoral law or Criminal Code. On the eve of the implementation of the Truth Reconciliation Commission, the global nature of the transitional justice process is obvious. The Burundian context appears as an illustration of the extensive meaning of transitional justice which represents a justice in transition. The global nature of the matter is emerging through its temporal and disciplinary versatility. On one hand, transitional justice seems to be past justice, currently justice and future justice at the same time and on the other hand it may take several forms out of the official one, initially predicted. In a legalist and normative view, global nature of justice in transition might cause deadlock regarding the case of Burundi. In a systemic and multidisciplinary perspective, global nature of justice in transition reveals change capacities according to the case of Burundi. What really matter in such transitional justice process is relieving victims and perpetrators’sufferings which are undeniably linked and bringing answers to each protagonist of the crime as to the society with the permanent and ambitious aim of reconciliation.