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Great Lakes Forever
c/o Biodiversity Project
4507 N Ravenswood #106
Chicago, IL 60640
773-496-4020 phone
773-906-1303 fax
project@biodiverse.org |
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Quagga Mussels:
Learn More About It |
- At least 183 invasive species have been identified in the Great Lakes, and a new species is discovered every 28 weeks. The most common include the zebra and quagga mussels, round and tube-nosed goby, and the sea lamprey.
- Invasive species are introduced to the Great Lakes in transatlantic ocean vessels' ballast water, on recreational and commercial ship hulls, in engine wells, and on personal gear and equipment. Learn more about what you can do to prevent spreading invasive species.
- Invasive species carry both an ecological and economic burden for our communities. Invasive species can cause irreversible harm to the biodiversity of the Great Lakes. The loss of native biodiversity could cause regional extinction of many species that have survived in this region for millennia.
- One of the most imminent threats to the Great Lakes is the invasion of the Asian Carp. Imported into the US for fish farms in southern states, flooding allowed some to enter the Mississippi River-- a conduit to preferred cooler waters of the Great Lakes. If Asian carp enter the Great Lakes, they are expected to push native Great Lakes fish to extinction, due to a lack of predators, high reproductive rates, voracious eating habits and their large size (they can grow up to 110 lbs). In the Illinois River, the average weight of the native buffalo fish has dropped from 12 to 9 pounds since the Asian Carp invasion 5 years ago. Find out more about what you can do to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes.
- The stakes are high, and so local, state and national governments are spending billions of dollars each year in an effort to contain the problem and protect the native ecosystem that supports our way of life. One research paper estimates that invasive species cost the Great Lakes region more than $5 billion per year!
- The good news is we have manageable solutions. The Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act is a comprehensive plan to prevent unwanted, new species from invading the lakes; modernize sewage treatment; clean-up polluted harbors; and restore wetlands. Find out more about how you can help support the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act.
- Watch WPT Producer Andy Soth's "Biofouling" segment to learn more about promising technologies for preventing the spread of invasive species.
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In Wisconsin airs on Thursday nights at 7:00 pm on most Wisconsin public television stations, and on Sunday mornings at 11:30 am on WMVS in Milwaukee.
| Wisconsin Public Television is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin- Extension . Wisconsin Public Television is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV/DT, Madison; WPNE-TV/DT, Green Bay; WHRM-TV/DT, Wausau; WLEF-TV/DT, Park Falls; WHLA- TV/DT, LaCrosse; and WHWC-TV/DT, Menomonie-Eau Claire. |
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| Paid for, in part, by a grant from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant #NA06NOS4190183 |
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