Abstract
Following more than a century of industrial and municipal pollution, Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York, is a system in flux, amid nutrient load reductions and increased density of invasive zebra mussels. The nesting and recruitment of centrarchid fishes was investigated in comparison to habitat variables, and the oligotrophication of Onondaga Lake was characterized through the analysis of changes to the aquatic macrophyte and fish communities. The numbers of centrachid nests have increased significantly since the early 1990's, but the majority of the nests are still located in the northern basin and in areas with mixed substrate. Recruitment was limited to the northern basin and significantly correlated with macrophyte diversity, but recruitment was not correlated with numbers of nests. The oligotrophication and increased water clarity of Onondaga Lake have followed recent nutrient reductions, and the introduction of zebra mussels. These changes led to increased distribution of aquatic macrophytes and shifts in density, recruitment, growth and diet of pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish.