Altering food web structure has been shown to influence mercury (Hg) concentrations in sport fish. Here, we describe a whole-system manipulation designed to assess the effectiveness of stocking relatively high-quality, low-Hg prey (rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss ) as a means of increasing northern pike ( Esox lucius ) growth to reduce Hg concentrations. A replicated pond experiment served as a reference for the lake experiment and provided information to parameterize bioenergetics simulations. Results indicate that stocking relatively high-quality, low-Hg prey is a rapid and effective method to reduce sport fish Hg concentrations by up to 50% through an increase in individual northern pike biomass. Large northern pike, the fish that tend to be the most contaminated, were affected most by the manipulation. The observed declines in northern pike Hg concentrations indicate that stocking might be used to reduce Hg concentrations in sport fish prior to harvest. However, after 1 year, northern pike Hg concentrations rebounded, suggesting that reductions would be temporary without continuous stocking. Thus, perhaps the most effective method of perpetually reducing sport fish Hg concentrations would be to manage for the development of a naturally reproducing forage fish population with relatively high energy content and low Hg concentrations.

A B S T R A C TPumping of wells from aquifers that are used to supply brackish-water reverse osmosis (BWRO) treatment systems commonly causes increases of water salinity in time. Some key aspects of assuring operational security are the magnitude of the water quality changes to assure that treatment can continue without failure of the process, reduction in installed capacity, or the necessity to modify the process by increasing the operational pressure and changing the membranes. An example of a BWRO system that uses a leaky aquifer system as a source of feed water located in Florida shows that careful monitoring of the well water quality and individual well pumping rates over a 10-year operating period can be used to assess the projected long-term changes in water quality with regard to the treatment facility design. The total dissolved solids concentration of the wellfield began with an average TDS of 2,461 mg/L which changed over 10 years to an average of 2,855 mg/L. The variation in time is linear and the projected average change for the next 20 years shows that the average TDS for the current pumping rate will increase to 3,611 mg/L which is well below the design maximum TDS treatment ability of 8,129 mg/L.

Higher education programs can offer hands‐on experiences in the form of laboratory or field exercises, experiential learning, and undergraduate research opportunities to students, though at an increased cost in terms of financial, material, and personnel requirements. In a climate where institutions seek to streamline their dwindling budgets, it could be tempting to eliminate some of these programs to focus on more traditional classroom‐based education. This outcome, if combined with the traits of the typical “millennial generation” student, raises the possibility that current and future student cohorts will lack practical experience in core areas. We argue that despite the challenges of garnering funding and institutional support, it is both possible and beneficial to provide undergraduates with the hands‐on experiences, experiential learning, and exposure to research and management topics that enrich their education and better prepare them for entry‐level positions or graduate school. We describe a multitiered approach for doing so and include examples from successful programs at Colorado State University and Florida Gulf Coast University.