Invasive Aquatic Species

By: Makayla Hunt

Fish

Eurasian Ruffle Sea Lamprey Flathead Catfish Northern Snakehead Round Goby Tubenose Goby European Rudd

Eurasian Ruffle

Eurasian Ruffle

Very slimy when

handled

Less than 6 in.

Perch-

like

shape

Eurasian Ruffle

Effects on Native Species

• Reproduce quickly

• Live in a wide range of habitats

• Reduce food sources for other species• Small

crustaceans• Insects

• Yellow Perch is affected

Characteristics

• Large dorsal fin• 11-16

spines• Downturned

mouth• No scales on

its head

Where?

• Rivers and bays

• Western Lake Superior

• Coastal habitats in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron

First Reported

• 1986• St. Louis River

Estuary in the Duluth-Superior Harbor

• Arrived in the ballast water of ocean-going vessels

Sea Lamprey

Sea Lamprey

Found

•Atlantic coast of Europe and North America

•Western Mediterranean Sea

•Great Lakes

Look

•Brown or gray on its back

•White or gray on its underside

•Up to 90 cm or 35.5 in.

Prey

•Many native fish

•Suction-cup mouth to attach itself to the skin of fish

•Sharp probing tongue and teeth pull away tissue

Sea Lamprey

Anadromous (like salmon) Young are born in inland rivers Live in ocean as adults Return to the rivers to bread Young emerge from the eggs as larvae’

Blind and toothless 3 to 7 years Buried in mud and filter-feeding

Once their big enough metamorphosize into their parasitic form

Flathead Catfish

Flathead Catfish

• Native to large rivers: Lower great lakes to northern Mexico

Found

• Decline in native species of catfish• Prey on crabs and young American Eels

Affects

• Stocked to non-native waters beginning in 1950s

Introduced

Flathead Catfish

Flat head Smooth, scale less skin Whisker-like barbels around the

mouth Long, sharp spines on the dorsal

fin and one on each side of the pectoral fin

3 to 4 feet Can exceed 100 lbs Pale yellow to light brown on

back and sides Highly mottle with black and

brown Pale yellow or cream colored

belly

Northern Snakehead (all species)

Northern Snakehead (all species)

Native to…• China, Russia, North Korea, South

Korea

Appeared• Crofton, Maryland, pond in the

summer of 2002

Northern Snakehead (all species)

Long dorsal fin with 49-50 rays

Anal fin with 31-32 rays

Small depressed head Large mouth Villiform teeth in

bands Golden tan to pale

brown with

Round Goby

Round Goby

Native

Eurasia

Black Sea, Caspian Sea

Habitat

Coastal Lakes, rivers, and

lagoons

Freshwater, euryhaline (salt-

tolerant)

Food

Nocturnal

Mollusks, crustaceans,

worms, fish eggs

Round Goby

Small, soft-bodied fish Black spot on dorsal fin Large eyes that protrude

from the top of his head 4 to 10 inches .176 to 2.816 ounces Males are larger than

females Young are grey and adults

are mottled with grey, black, brown, olive green

Tubenose Goby

Tubenose GobyHabitat•Slightly brackish to

freshwater•Under rocks, logs, and shells

Introduced•First found in the Great

Lakes•1990

Feed•Zebra Mussels•Aquatic insects

Tubenose Goby

Mottled brown Two dorsal fins Rounded caudal fin Blunt head Large eyes Fusion of their fins to

form a suctorial disc Long interior nostrils Rarely exceeds 11cm in

length

European Rudd

European Rudd• Western Europe to Caspian and Aral

Sea basins • Not found in RussiaOrigin• Pools, canals, lakes, slow-running

rivers with muddy bottoms• Found by vegetationHabitat• Snails, aquatic insects, small fish• Surface feeders (also at the bottom and

at mid-depths)Food

European Rudd

Maximum 4 to 5 pounds More commonly 2lbs Forked tail, upturned mouth Strongly marked scales, dark

brown back, golden brown sides, white belly

Reddish orange pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins

Dorsal and tail fins are dusky 8-9 dorsal ray, 10-11 anal

rays Red eyes or eyes with a red

spot

Asian Carp

Asian Carp

8 Types of Asian Carp Grass Carp Common Carp Silver Carp Large Scale Silver Carp Bighead Carp Black Carp Common Goldfish Crucian Carp Mud Carp

Asian Carp

Problem SpeciesBighead CarpBlack CarpGrass CarpSilver Carp

Asian Carp

Bighead Carp

Bighead Carp

Freshwater fish Large scale-less head Large mouth Low eyes on head Adults have a mottled

silver-gray coloration Tremendous growth

rate Filter feeders

Black Carp

•Can grow up to 3ft and over 70 lbs•Eat snails and mussels•Live in groups with other carp (even other species)•Used for food, domestic fishes

Grass Carp

Introduced for aquatic weed control

Likes large, turbid rivers, floodplain lakes

Temperature tolerant Color is dark olive

shading to brownish-yellow on the sides with a white belly and large slightly outlined scales

Grass Carp

Silver Carp

Leap high into the air (8-10ft)

Cause boatmen injuries

Adaptation

Silver Carp

Hard to catch with hook and line gear

Use suspension method Large dough ball that

disintegrates slowly Surrounded by a nest of

hooks not embedded in the bait

Water Fleas Spiny Water Flea Fishhook Water flea

Spiny Water Flea

Spiny Water Flea

Not an insect Half inch long Crustacean with long,

sharp, barbed tail spine Native to Great Britain

and northern Europe east to the Caspian Sea

First found of 1984 Now found in Great

Lakes and some inland islands

Fishhook Water Flea

Fishhook Water Flea

Prolific Breeder Long hooked tail catches on fishing lines and net

Fouling the angler’s gear Found in brackish and fresh freshwater

environments Predator that devours small plankton Laval fish eat them Commonly reproduce parthenogenically

Develop from unfertilized eggs Sometimes sexually reproduce

Fishhook Water Flea

Concerns High reproductive rate

Up to 13 offspring at one time Reproduce numerous times in one season Produce resting eggs

Remain dormant over the winter

Compete with larger sport and commercial fish along with larval fish of most species

Eat zooplankton Clog fishing lines

Mussels and Clams Zebra Mussel Quagga Mussel Asian Clam Asiatic Clam

Zebra Mussel

Cause

Introduced in 1960’s From Europe (Black

and Caspian Seas) Transported to North

America in a freshwater ballast

Effects

Clog water pipes Compete with native

species Native mussel

populations are suffering

Quickly reproduce One adult can have a

million larvae The larvae are free

floating and can travel long distances

Actions

Trying to find animals that eat them

Introducing toxic microbes

It is required that ships change ballast water in mid-ocean (kills them)

Real World Example

Located in the Great Lakes

One year after Zebra Mussels were discovered there were about 35,000 per square yard

Around $350,000 to $400,000 is used to clear them from the intake pipes every year

Quagga Mussel

Quagga Mussel

Freshwater Mussel Lifespan 3 to 5 years Native to Ukraine Slightly larger than the Zebra Mussel Filter feeder Use their cilia to pull water into shell cavity Adults can filter up to one or more liters of

water each day

Quagga Mussel • Phytoplankton• Zooplankton• AlgaeDiet

• Mucus• Out the incurrent siphon• Particle-free water is then discharged out the

excurrent siphonEject

• Dioecious (either male or female) with external fertilization

• Female mussels are capable of producing up to one million eggs per yearReproduction

Asian Clam

Asian Clam

•Can reach 50 mm in length•Yellow-green to brown in color •Concentric rings•Inside of shell is layered with a polished and light purple•Capable of self-fertilization•Stay inside of parent’s gills until one mm and then discharged•Reach maturity at 6-10 mm•Life span of 1-4 years•Eat phytoplankton

Asian Clam

Biofouler

•Power plants

•Industrial water systems

•Irrigation canals and pipes

Compete

•Native Mussel Species

•Can tolerate polluted environments•Bett

er than native species

Origin

•Freshwater species to southern and eastern Asia and Africa

•Brought over by immigrants as a food source and were released

Problem

•Freshwater locations in the U.S.

•Five gulf states, northern Mexico

•San Francisco Bay, California and Chesapeake Bay, and Virginia

The End… For Now

Asiatic Clam

Macro Invertebrates

Rusty Crayfish

Turtles

Red-Eared Slider

Frogs and Toads

Amphibians