Now Open: Easy Access to Forty Years of Canadian Ecological and Fisheries Research

An Ontario lake -- lots of research has happened here

There's a long and interesting history of research in Ontario on aquatic ecology, limnology, and fisheries.  So I was delighted to learn recently that a complete set of the published reports from this research is now available online.  These are the reports of the Ontario Fisheries Research Laboratory: a joint effort of the University of Toronto and the Ontario government.  Beginning in 1922, and continuing into the 1960s, OFRL scientists did research on the Great Lakes and on other lakes in Ontario, particularly in Algonquin Park.  Among the noteworthy scientists in this tradition were W. J. K. Harkness, Fred Fry, W. A. Kennedy, W. E. Ricker, Donald Rawson and J. R. Dymond.

These reports are a gold mine: packed with useful information about the history of freshwater research in Ontario, and changing ecological conditions in the Great Lakes and other lakes.  Many historical questions could be pursued using them: about the relations between ecological research in Canada, the United States, and Europe; the development of field research techniques; and scientists' responses to environmental changes and shifting economic and political priorities.  Here's hoping that students (and anyone else) interested in Canadian environmental history will pick up on this opportunity for easy access to a fascinating set of primary sources!

(And thanks to Henry Regier for alerting me to this collection.)