MSU Report: Invasive Spiny Waterflea May Crowd Out Native Lake Species
DETROIT (WWJ) - They are one-eyed creatures that look like balls of hairy jelly. And it appears that Michigan's Great Lakes have proven to be a really great place for them to thrive.
Beth Clawson from the Michigan State University Extension Service says spiny waterfleas can be a real annoyance.
"Say you were in your boat, fishing or whatever, they are quite easily missed, and people don't often don't see them until they have whole clusters of them, accumulated ... on their fishing line," says Clawson.
Those black dots are the spiny water fleas' eyes, "and so when you get lots of them together - the spines will stick out - so it looks like a hairy gelatin glob."
"Because there is no natural predators or anything to keep that particular invasive species in check, they will out-compete the native animals for food sources and or places to live," she says.
Clawson says spiny waterfleas came to Michigan from Northern Europe in the early 1980s and their numbers are steadily growing.
According to MSU's Clawson the larger fish can eat them and are readily consumed by larger fish species. Their eggs are resilient and have been observed to survive winter freezing, drying out, and the passing through the guts of fish.
They are even being found in some inland lakes. Because they have no natural predators the spiny waterfleas may eventually crowd out native lake species.
Find more about the spiny waterfleas [here].
