Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/invaders/page/13/)
Canadian scientists are launching a robotic kayak equipped with echo sounder sensors in the Welland Canal this week to see if invasive fish such as the Asian carp could travel between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
They are deadly for aquatic life and take years of pollution to develop, yet dead zones can be created in a flash by bubbling nitrogen through a lake. Are they a solution for invading carp?
Researchers are studying if an induced dead zone could discourage invasive species from moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds.
It’s not often that an invasive species is welcomed into its host community. But some northern Michigan beekeepers want to keep spotted knapweed around because honey bees collect nectar from it.
A $3 million federal cut from sea lamprey control in 2012 could cause many of Michigan’s charter boat captains to go out of business.
With video of lamprey sterilization.
By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason
Editor’s note: Great Lakes SmackDown! Terrestrial Terror is an ongoing Great Lakes Echo series. Last week the Terrestrial Terror victors took to the ring for a second round SmackDown! The mute swan faced the emerald ash borer in a rumble that ended in a landslide victory for The Green Menace. Eighty-five percent of pollsters rooted for the green-plated insect over the large and hostile waterfowl.
By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason
Editors note: Great Lakes SmackDown! Terrestrial Terror is an on going Great Lakes Echo series. With an aggressive demeanor, The Silent Foul breezed by The Warbler’s Woe in Round 1. And the Emerald Ash Borer hit a home run against the little leaguer Miley Cyrex. But which formidable foe is feisty enough to fight its way into Round 3?
Scientists have identified a new weapon to ward off two troublesome Great Lakes invaders: A bacterium strain that destroys their guts. It could be an alternative to chlorine and other chemical treatments.
A decade-old discovery in Lake Michigan is already disappearing.
Researchers are increasingly recruiting different wasp warriors in the battle against the emerald ash borer, a destructive, tree-eating beetle that has infiltrated the entire Great Lakes region.
Costly insecticides, tree-removal strategies and bans on moving firewood have provided some defense against the critter.
But a bug-on-bug battle strategy appears to hold promise.