The Bloody Red Shrimp is a small shrimp-like crustacean native to the low-salinity margins of the Black Sea, the Azov Sea, and the eastern Caspian Sea and most likely was brought into the Great Lakes via ballast tanks. Great Lakes Hit By Another Invasive Species:
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The bloody-red shrimp (Hemimysis anomala) has continued to expand its range across the Great Lakes and has been discovered in rocky reefs used for fish spawning in northern Lake Michigan.
The Journal of Great Lakes Research has released a report on the invader that is striking fear in the hearts of fishers and Great Lakes preservationists.
Reefs with the best fish spawning habitat (e.g., rocks that are 8-10 cm in diameter and in large piles) also provided a refuge for bloody-red shrimp during the early stages of the invasion.
"We are concerned that high densities of the bloody-red shrimp on fish spawning reefs may lead to negative interactions with native fish eggs and larvae, but more work is needed to determine the potential impacts", says Randall Claramunt, a Research Biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
One thing is certain, however, the abundance of rocky reefs in Lake Michigan make the further expansion of the bloody-red shrimp likely, he said.
The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council in Petoskey reports that "bloody-red shrimp" Hemimysis anomala, is a new aquatic invader first reported in the Great Lakes from samples collected in Muskegon, Michigan in November of 2006.
It is a small shrimp-like crustacean native to the low-salinity margins of the Black Sea, the Azov Sea, and the eastern Caspian Sea and most likely was brought into the Great Lakes via ballast tanks. The impact of this species on the Great Lakes is yet unknown, but based on its history of invasion across Europe, significant impacts are possible.
Meanwhile, the Council updates government action against the Asian Carp. Congress has also been getting involved in the Asian Carp debate with multiple hearings as well as the introduction of the CARP Act by U.S. Representative Dave Camp, R-Midland, and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-MI.
The CARP Act, which stands for Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today, would:
Immediately close the barriers and locks into the Great Lakes
Expedite the installation of interim barriers in rivers where no barriers currently exist
Enhance existing barriers and monitoring systems to prevent fish from crossing into the Great Lakes
Grant full authority to the Army Corps of Engineers to eradicate the Asian carp and prevent them from entering the Great Lakes.
A second round of poisoning has occurred on the Chicago waterway to search for the Asian carp past the electric barrier. On May 20, officials dumped rotenone, a fish-killing poison, into two miles of the Little Calumet River below the O'Brien lock and dam. The purpose is to determine whether - and if so, how many -- Asian carp might exist in that location where positive eDNA samples have been taken.
The water was treated in one day, and the recovery phase of the operation is expected to last between four to five days. During that time, the Fish and Wildlife Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and other participating agencies will aim to recover as many fish in the application area as possible to determine the abundance and type of fish present in the treated area.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources closed the O'Brien Lock and Dam in the Cal-Sag Channel for a week while crews cleaned up the remains of approximately 100,000 pounds of dead fish. No Asian carp were recovered.
Additionally, Great Lakes Attorneys General have sent a letter to Major General John Peabody of the United States Army Corp of Engineers demanding that the Army Corp take certain specific actions regarding the imminent Asian Carp crisis in the Great Lakes. The letter is signed by the Attorneys General of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
The letter demands five actions:
First, the Army Corp should take more comprehensive action more quickly, commensurate it with the urgency and magnitude of the threat.
Second, the Army Corps should provide specific information about what is and is not being done and why.
Third, the Army Corps should include the knowledgeable natural resource experts in the Great Lakes states in the regional coordinating committee.
Fourth, the Army Corps should produce certain documents essential to a comprehensive understanding of the process.
And fifth, planning for a permanent solution should be accelerated for physically separating the Chicago area water system that is infested with Asian Carp from Lake Michigan.
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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
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WALLWE Says:
On May 29, 2012
at 09:33 AM
BLOODY RED SHRIMP LOOKS LIKE A GREAT FOOD SOURCE FOR GRAT LAKES FISH.. SURELY SALMON AND BASS EAT CRUSTACEANS. SHRIMP COULD DEVELOP INTO GREAT FOOD SOURCE FOR RESTAURANT MENUS.. WHY MUST WE INSIST ON KILLING EVERYTHING WE ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH? I'M GOING TO SEARCH THEM OUT AND MAKE A FINE CIOPPINO WITH MICHIGAN WHITE WINE, MICHIGAN TOMATOES, MICHIGAN ONIONS AND GARLIC A LITTLE KOSHER SALT YUMMY ....
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Dave Rogers |
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