HERE THEY COME!

Eurasian Ruffe Found in Lake Michigan

Yet another exotic species has invaded Lake Michigan. One specimen of the aggressive, perch-like Eurasian ruffe was discovered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologists during routine sampling off Escanaba Harbor in Michigan in late August. This is the first confirmed finding of ruffe in Lake Michigan.

Ruffe compete with yellow perch and other native sport fish for zooplankton, the tiny aquatic animals near the bottom of the food web, according to Phil Moy, UW Sea Grant invasive species specialist.

Eurasian ruffe were introduced into the Duluth-Superior harbor and the St. Louis River in the mid-1980s and are abundant there now. No impacts on native species have been observed to date, but that’s just a matter of time, according to Moy.

He says some models suggest the effects of the invasive ruffe on native fish could take decades to become apparent.

Anglers should report sightings of Eurasian ruffe to Moy at (920) 683-4776, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Learn more here or order a wallet-sized Ruffe WATCH card from UW Sea Grant. Write to UW Sea Grant, 1975 Willow Dr., Madison, WI 53706, or email linda@aqua.wisc.edu.
 

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Last updated 20 December 2002 by Karl
All contents copyright 2000 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute

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