- If we have poor water quality,
the fish, they don't live in it, they'd take off.
They're not gonna deal with that.
(gentle music)
My name is Captain Don McGee.
I've been a charter captain for 45 years.
I've been in love with Lake Erie my whole life,
all the way to owning a boat before I owned a car.
The water quality is important, very important
that we have good quality water.
- So at Stone Lab, we wanna understand
why some bacteria blooms in Lake Erie,
why they produce toxins, and what can we do about it.
(gentle music continues)
- Water quality affects my walleye fishing dramatically.
Lake Erie has more fish in it
than all other Great Lakes combined.
Ohio State has given us the opportunity to help.
- Boat captains are out 200 days a year on the lake.
They take time to, once a week, grab a sample.
It's been invaluable.
- [Don] For them caring for the lake
as much as I care for the lake, phenomenal.
It's beyond words.
(gentle music continues)
- The samples that they collect today
will hopefully lead to a more healthy Lake Erie next year,
next decade, and so forth.
- Our children, our grandkids, our great grandkids,
hopefully we leave them a good water quality of the lake
and the fisheries that they can enjoy
for the rest of their life.
Not everybody comes out to the lake, but they should.