Scientists have confirmed the presence of the invasive bloody red shrimp in Lake Superior, marking its establishment in all five Great Lakes. Researchers collected dozens of adult and juvenile specimens, including pregnant females, in Duluth-Superior Harbor during summer sampling efforts.
Establishment of the Species
The study, published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, reports that the species was first detected in waters connected to Lake Michigan in 2006. By 2008, it had already been established in Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, as well as parts of the St. Lawrence River and other connected waterways.
Lead researcher Donn Branstrator, a biology professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, said monitoring efforts are continuing this summer in the harbor. The team is collecting specimens biweekly at Montreal Pier and monitoring about a half dozen other locations in the harbor.
The bloody red shrimp is native to the Caspian Sea and Black Sea region and likely arrived in North America through ballast water released by transoceanic cargo ships. The species is broadly omnivorous, meaning it feeds on a wide range of organic material, and its long-term ecological effects in the Great Lakes are still being studied.
Original reporting: WOWO News/Talk (Fort Wayne) — read the source article.
