The Great Lakes are big bodies of water that are very important for people and animals living in North America. But, over time, people have polluted these lakes by dumping waste and other harmful things into them. This pollution has caused some areas of the Great Lakes to become very sick, making it hard for fish and other creatures to survive.
When we say an area of the Great Lakes is an "Area of Concern," it means that there are too many bad things in the water that can harm living things. There are 43 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes, and they are spread out in different parts of the lakes.
People are working to fix these Areas of Concern by cleaning up the pollution and making sure they don't add any more bad things to the water. It is important to take care of the Great Lakes so they can keep providing clean water for all the creatures that depend on them, including people.