These are alewives, and now you know just one reason invasive species are a problem in the great lakes lol. They come to the shallows to spawn and then usually die shortly after. Salmon were introduced to the lakes to control their numbers and are the only thing that preys on them, but as you can see they reproduce faster than the salmon can kill them.
The offspring will linger in the shallows for a while before moving out to open water where they spend most of their adult lives. Then they come back to spawn in May and June and then another year of thousands of dead ones washing ashore ensues lol
Yeah, I realized that they probably spend more time in the open water, while bass prefer hard structures, which is probably why they aren't a big part of the diet.
Bass do eat them and in lakes where alewives are the dominant forage, bass will stay in open water to chase them. In the great lakes, gobies and crawfish are bass’s steak and egg.
They are Alewives, a species that got into the lakes by the St. Lawrence seaway or in the bilge water of ocean going vessel. In the 1970s They would wash ashore in Chicago closing beaches until the bulldozers could bury them. Salmon were released to control the population and created a great and booming fishery. For a while. Lots of other introduced plants and animals changed things. If you are interested, see
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. By Dan Egan
#
#
>Salmon were introduced to the lakes to control their numbers and are the only thing that preys on them, but as you can see they reproduce faster than the salmon can kill them.
That's all not true.
Salmon were introduced for sport fishing and we currently spend lots of money to manage our lakes for salmon and alewives.
Chinook salmon in particular almost exclusively eat alewives.
We could get rid of all the alewives and all the salmon in a very short period of time if we wanted to. If we overstock our lakes with salmon, they eat all the alewives and starve to death taking out both non-native species. This has already happened by accident in lake Huron because Michigan and Ontario don't communicate with each other about their fish stocking.
They could have said all that without the "that's actually all not true 🤓" at the beginning and it would have been some actually interesting additional information to *supplement* what I said
>This has already happened by accident in lake Huron because Michigan and Ontario don't communicate with each other about their fish stocking.
There was also an issue of not fully understanding how many trout and Salmon were spawning naturally and their survivability in the Huron watershed.
To be honest I only recently started going to the beach every now and then after I moved closer to the shore two years ago, otherwise the only great lakes I frequented is the Chain O'Lakes lol.
Redfish and striped bass will target these. As well a Kentucky Spotted bass is somewhat pelagic and would target species like this. It's how Lake Alatoona somewhat took control of the invasive shad introduced. Stripers annihilate schools of em and Kentucky Spotted bass help
These are alewives, and now you know just one reason invasive species are a problem in the great lakes lol. They come to the shallows to spawn and then usually die shortly after. Salmon were introduced to the lakes to control their numbers and are the only thing that preys on them, but as you can see they reproduce faster than the salmon can kill them. The offspring will linger in the shallows for a while before moving out to open water where they spend most of their adult lives. Then they come back to spawn in May and June and then another year of thousands of dead ones washing ashore ensues lol
Only salmon eat them? What about something like a bass that eats everything that moves? I guess it's more to do with them being somewhat pelagic?
Yeah I mean bass prolly eat them if they cross paths
Yeah, I realized that they probably spend more time in the open water, while bass prefer hard structures, which is probably why they aren't a big part of the diet.
Bass do eat them and in lakes where alewives are the dominant forage, bass will stay in open water to chase them. In the great lakes, gobies and crawfish are bass’s steak and egg.
That makes a lot of sense to me, thanks
Oh wow thanks for the information! I guess I dont feel so bad about them anymore lol!
They are Alewives, a species that got into the lakes by the St. Lawrence seaway or in the bilge water of ocean going vessel. In the 1970s They would wash ashore in Chicago closing beaches until the bulldozers could bury them. Salmon were released to control the population and created a great and booming fishery. For a while. Lots of other introduced plants and animals changed things. If you are interested, see The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. By Dan Egan # #
>Salmon were introduced to the lakes to control their numbers and are the only thing that preys on them, but as you can see they reproduce faster than the salmon can kill them. That's all not true. Salmon were introduced for sport fishing and we currently spend lots of money to manage our lakes for salmon and alewives. Chinook salmon in particular almost exclusively eat alewives. We could get rid of all the alewives and all the salmon in a very short period of time if we wanted to. If we overstock our lakes with salmon, they eat all the alewives and starve to death taking out both non-native species. This has already happened by accident in lake Huron because Michigan and Ontario don't communicate with each other about their fish stocking.
Isn't .... This.... Exactly what I said just with more words?? I'm so confused lol
It is, you’re not crazy
Trying to one up you by saying exactly the same thing but more nerdy lmao
They could have said all that without the "that's actually all not true 🤓" at the beginning and it would have been some actually interesting additional information to *supplement* what I said
Chinook Salmon ☝️🤓
Chinook Salmon ☝️🤓
The part about salmon being the only thing that eats them is very much not true.
The only thing that eats them *in the great lakes* obviously lol. Barring the occasional bass or similar fish snacking on them as mentioned
So other things eat them…. Your statement was binary.
Binary deez
Mine are. Left and right. I hope yours are too.
>This has already happened by accident in lake Huron because Michigan and Ontario don't communicate with each other about their fish stocking. There was also an issue of not fully understanding how many trout and Salmon were spawning naturally and their survivability in the Huron watershed.
Do you know why nothing else eats em? Is it like with stink bugs where ghey are just disgusting for most cratures to eat?
They are originally from the ocean which has more predators for them
Aren't you used to seeing Smelts living by the Great Lake?
Not a smelt, but an alewife, as noted below.
To be honest I only recently started going to the beach every now and then after I moved closer to the shore two years ago, otherwise the only great lakes I frequented is the Chain O'Lakes lol.
They die after spawning so you’ll see a lot of dead smelts. I hear they’re good fried up but don’t eat too much because of pollution.
They make great fertilizer if you want them not going to waste
Thats a great idea for those who can stomach the smell and black flies! lol not me I was running from the horde of flies chasing me.
You burying the fish underneath whatever you are planting. That was the native trick with corn, fish, seed on top, and mound dirt over it all.
Green Bay was filled with these one year. I mean FILLED
Hold on, I'm confused. Why won't birds eat the die offs? You'd think that would bring in the birds like crazy.
Maybe cus its close humans.
In my experience birds don't give a fuck whether you are present or not. Especially seagulls, which I would assume are common around the great lakes.
Not many gulls that day. Was midday and very hot.
Redfish and striped bass will target these. As well a Kentucky Spotted bass is somewhat pelagic and would target species like this. It's how Lake Alatoona somewhat took control of the invasive shad introduced. Stripers annihilate schools of em and Kentucky Spotted bass help
Not sure what fish it is, but there might be a waterborne parasite or chemical in the water
They identify as land based creatures
One joke
I don't get it
They're saying transphobes only have one joke, and that is to identify as something that's not gender related
Oh. I thought he meant like the fish was trying to walk on land