Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/tag/invaders/)
Clean, drain, dry is common advice among the Great Lakes boating community. Now it’s delivered with a southern drawl. The watercraft maintenance practice limits the spread of invasive species between lakes. And now it is used in Texas to limit the further spread of a Great Lakes menace threatening lakes in that state. Zebra mussels are again the target. They entered the U.S. through the Great Lakes aboard freighters that inadvertently transported them from Eurasia. Continue Reading →
About a decade ago, Lake Huron’s fishing was not very abundant because of a steep decline in fish numbers. To see how the lake is doing now, Current State’s Melissa Benmark spoke with David Fielder, Fisheries Research Biologist for the Department of Natural Resources and a doctoral student at Michigan State University. Fielder explained that the decline ten years ago was due to ecological changes after the invasion of zebra mussels, quagga mussels and a higher predator abundance. Continue Reading →
At the end of each month, we check in with Echo commentator Gary Wilson for updates on environmental stories from around the Basin. Click on the audio clip above for today’s Great Lakes Month in Review which discusses efforts to keep Asian carp and Waukesha, Wis., out of Lake Michigan. This segment is produced as part of a partnership with WKAR’s Current State public affairs program. More radio news about the Great Lakes environment can be found on Current State every Tuesday as part of our partnership. Continue Reading →
Residents of a small west Michigan lake recently limited a policy on killing invasive mute swans to only those that are aggressive. State officials say the bird can displace native trumpeter swans, eat and destroy wetland vegetation and chase wildlife and even people. Continue Reading →
Wisconsin State officials are cutting down trees in Whitefish Dunes State Park in Door County that are infected with beech bark disease. The park has lots of beech trees and those that are infected pose a safety hazard, said Linda Williams, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources forest health specialist. Weakened limbs and trunks can snap off or fall over during strong winds. The idea is to remove dead trees before they harm visitors or staff. Infected trees that are within 75 feet of park trails are targeted, said Arnie Lindauer, a program analyst for the park. Continue Reading →
For April’s Great Lakes Month in Review Current State focused on the Council of Great Lakes Governors summit, which took place in Chicago this past weekend. Gary Wilson shares more from his one-on-one interview with Gov. Rick Snyder. Continue Reading →
There are many types of fish that fall under the Asian carp umbrella. Each brings their own unique peril to the Great Lakes basin. Continue Reading →
The Nature Conservancy has animated how six invasive species have spread across the Great Lakes over time. The group has created six maps that show population increase and spread since the appearance of each species in the Great Lakes basin and beyond. Sea lamprey, the first of the six invasive species to appear in the area, initially showed up in Lake Erie in 1921. The map shows the population of the fish expanding into the rest of the Great Lakes up until present day. Also included in the maps are Asian carp, zebra and quagga mussels, round goby, Eurasian Ruffe and black carp. Continue Reading →
By Evan KreagerGreat Lakes EchoAsian carp may be one of the better known of the many aquatic invasive species attempting to make their way into the Great Lakes basin. They are one of the five “usual suspects” recognized by The Nature Conservancy in a public awareness campaign. Big head and silver are the most common types of carp, having been spotted in 18 different states, according to The Nature Conservancy. Big head carp can grow up to 60 inches and weigh over 100 pounds. Silver carp are a bit smaller, with a length of about 40 inches and a weight of 60 pounds. Continue Reading →
A U.S. and Canadian control project has knocked back the invasive species that prey on fish by 90 percent.
But researchers are trying to address a recently increasing population. Continue Reading →