Great report out of NWF:
A new report by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) on the toll of invasive species to the Great Lakes food web, a phenomenon that's impacting some of our most storied sport fisheries more every day, is a case in point.
Diporeia, Murray said, are an important, high-energy food source for many fish. "Most fish feed on them [diporeia] at some point in their life cycles," he said. "They're very important to the food web."
But diporeia, along with fingernail clams, have declined significantly over the last 20 years, in large part, researchers believe, due to the introduction of two invasive species: zebra and quagga mussels.
The upshot is that scientists, Murray said, have observed "impacts" on fish that depend on diporeia as a food source.
http://www.walkermn.com/placed/index.php?sect_rank=6&story_id=190532
Posted by Dave at January 5, 2005 11:19 AM