Members of the next generation of fishing enthusiasts got to learn quite a lot about the St. Lawrence River on Saturday. About 20 children and their parents took part in an information session, held at the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Visitors Centre. “The event is geared more towards kids, therefore we wanted it to be very hands-on” said OPG summer student Nolan Armstrong, who organised the morning event. “We’re also very lucky to have a number of fishing-related clubs helping us. The Muskees, the Cornwall Lunker Club as well as Tackleshare were all very happy to help.” A presentation, hosted by TackleShare’s Kat Faouaz, elaborated on several aspects of fishing, such as safety and the ecology of various Canadian rivers and lakes. Key amongst the topics she shared were invasive species. “Invasive species are a big problem in Ontario,” she said, as the children’s stares were all glued to a thick glass container she held in her hands. “The St. Lawrence River is a highway for them. Four of the five species we have here today were introduced to Ontario via the river.” The jars were passed around the room, one by one, much to the delight of several of the young attendees, who admired them closely, albeit with a watchful eye. Faouaz later outlined that although invasive species are a problem, they can sometime have a surprising outcome in a lake or river’s ecology. “Zebra mussels are known to take in dirty water and clean it,” she said. “Although clear water is nice, it’s not very easy for smaller fish to hide in it. Lake Erie used to be one of the most-polluted lakes in the whole world. “But, when the zebra mussel was introduced to the lake 25 years ago, it cleaned it out.” According to Faouaz, some species of wildlife, which had disappeared from the lake, began reappearing. “Sometimes, some invasive species fall into place within the ecology of a lake or river,” outlined Faouaz to the attentive kids. “That’s what we call naturalization.” Armstrong, who was in attendance during most of the presentation, stressed how he finds it important to inform today’s youths regarding the river’s ecology. “We have access to plenty of docks and locks in Cornwall,” he said. “Thankfully we haven’t had any big problems ecology wise, we still need to be careful with the river’s ecology.”