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The MNR has just sent out a press release which could be very bad news for the fishing industry. Two species of trout, the lake trout and the rainbow trout have been deemed "invading species" to the great lakes. The MNR is unveiling it's action plan tomorrow night to determine how to eradicate these invading species before they completely wipe out the forage in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
"We've known for years that trout are detrimental to the success of the smallmouth bass, salmon and northern pike spawns in the great lakes, we just weren't aware of how much they were really killing our waters", stated MNR Chief Biologist Steve McFakeson.
The future of the great lakes is unknown but one thing is for sure, the invading trout species will be eradicated within the next 7 years if MNR's plans go as well as expected.
You better stick to bass (I'll stick to musky) . I think lake trout and landlocked salmon were original species in the great lakes, while all other salmon and trout (besides brookies in the tributories) were introduced.... not that I'm an expert.
trexellunge wrote:You better stick to bass (I'll stick to musky) . I think lake trout and landlocked salmon were original species in the great lakes, while all other salmon and trout (besides brookies in the tributories) were introduced.... not that I'm an expert.
Brook Trout and Lakers (Char) are the only native trout native to the great lakes. Atlantic salmon could access Lake ON, but I don't believe they could breech Niagara Falls and access the other 4 lakes.
Lampray invasion did a lot of damage to Lake Trout and Whitefish in the great lakes and because the lake trout was a natural preditor to the Alewive (which entered the great lakes after the completion of the Welland Canal) and the whitefish competed for the same food (zooplankton) as the Alewives, their reduced numbers lead to a huge increase in the alwive population. Rainbows, Browns, Chinooks and Coho were introduced to help control the Alewive populations.
Confused me a bit because I worked with the MNR for lake ontario and I was like.. "hey we studied lake trout to make sure the numbers were up and natural reprodution was not declining"
. I think lake trout and landlocked salmon were original species in the great lakes, while all other salmon and trout (besides brookies in the tributories) were introduced.... not that I'm an expert.
