Jump to content

"Mussels" biomass problem

jimski2

jimski2
in Open Lake Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

Gill-T

Gill-T

Posted
Posted

Is it possible that the stomach acids will dissolve the shell?

I don't know why not? How many species eat crabs or crayfish?

Gill-T

Gill-T

Posted
Posted

I have lakers poop them out on my floor all the time and they are hole and still hard when they get stepped on. 

 

 

You can't count Lakers in a stomach survey of digestibility as they dump everything out of both ends! :puke:  They need to isolate the chemicals inside of lake trout stomach lining and develop a poison control medication for kids and dogs when they get into things they shouldn't.  

jimski2

jimski2

Posted
  • Author
Posted

We have to account for the algae consumed by these critters and the effect they have on the population of alewife and other food chain fish such as emerald shiners. So where will our salmon programs be impacted by the loss of forage fish ? Lake Huron scientists are blaming the mussels now for their salmon program collapse. Will we start a mussel study now in Lake Ontario [emoji953]?

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Gill-T

Gill-T

Posted
Posted

Jimski, you are behind by about 10 years.  Lake Huron is not news.  Lake Ontario is not the same lake nutrient-wise compared to Huron. Also, the mussels have maxed out and are on a slight decline.  Lake Ontario has weathered the storm.  

rolmops

rolmops

Posted
Posted (edited)

We have to account for the algae consumed by these critters and the effect they have on the population of alewife and other food chain fish such as emerald shiners. So where will our salmon programs be impacted by the loss of forage fish ? Lake Huron scientists are blaming the mussels now for their salmon program collapse. Will we start a mussel study now in Lake Ontario [emoji953]?

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

where did you get that emoji?emoji953.png

Edited by rolmops
ReelPower

ReelPower

Posted
Posted

Lake Erie perch devour the juvenile zebra/quagga mussels. I have cleaned hundreds of Central Basin perch completely stuffed with them. They graze the lake in roaming schools.

Sk8man

Sk8man

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm not so sure we should be too confident that the mussels are in total or permanent decline on Lake O because the Quaggas are able to inhabit quite deep water with a more extensive range and both types of mussels may have cyclical  decreases going on and could rebound given fertile environmental conditions. The Quaggas may be able to out compete the Zebras too where they co-exist and in some ways may present a more complex problem. Mature Round Gobies are known to eat Zebra and Quagga mussels and although they may do so in the shallower waters the Quaggas in the depths will not be adversely affected by them and potential predators of Quaggas will be fewer in number with increased depth as well..

Edited by Sk8man
Lucky13

Lucky13

Posted
Posted

We have to account for the algae consumed by these critters and the effect they have on the population of alewife and other food chain fish such as emerald shiners. So where will our salmon programs be impacted by the loss of forage fish ? Lake Huron scientists are blaming the mussels now for their salmon program collapse. Will we start a mussel study now in Lake Ontario [emoji953]?

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

What kind of study are you looking for?  Dr. Edward Mills of the Cornell Biological Field station in Bridgeport NY studied LO mussels extensively, and became an international authority on dreissenids. Their extent in the lake is well documented, the cyclical nature and the ascendance of the quaggas are also well documented.  The New York State Museum has even isolated a bacterial agent that attacks them, but it is limited in effectiveness by cost to produce, and there needs to be more work to confirm that it only works on Dreissenids before it could be used in the wild. 

Sk8man

Sk8man

Posted
Posted (edited)

As I go along reading and thinking about the apparent decrease in available fish, the appearance of Zebras and Quaggas in the water (with their extreme straining activity) as well as other invasives present that the primary causative set of  problems is at the microscopic level and basically taking out a critical link near the base of the food chain (phytoplankton and zooplankton). These microrganisms are collapsing probably for more than one reason ranging from the presence of chemical toxins in the water (e..g. waste effluents, pesticides from lawns and other places, ineffective levels of basic bio-limiting factors like nitrates and phosphates relating to photosynthesis, and the depositing of harmful substances in the sediment within the lakes. The sum total of this activity in combination  is negatively affecting the presence of food for the baitfish of various sizes and species, the spawning of both bait and the fish above it in the chain and those fish with highly specific diets as in the case of salmon (vs. rainbows and browns etc.) are most quickly and severely affected. The previous severe winters theory can be tossed in for good measure. The increased clarity of the water from the zebras and quaggas straining out everything is probably pushing other species such as smaller perch and bass out to greater depths to avoid predators in the clear water too. I know we were catching perch in 60 ft of water on Canandaigua Lake this summer and early Fall and they didn't seem to be present in the usual places shallower when the water was gin clear and they were very pale in appearance suggesting they had been at depth for some time.

Edited by Sk8man
Gill-T

Gill-T

Posted
Posted

Les, your perch are probably feeding deep on the invasive shrimp species that are in the lakes now.

Sk8man

Sk8man

Posted
Posted

I agree with the possible feeding scenario and have in the past found some packed with those shrimp out deep. The lack of them in the shallower water in the usual places until later on when the water became "murkier" was also interesting and the ones we did catch out in 60 ft. had mainly either nothing in their stomachs or else partly digested crayfish which presumably they found in shallower but maybe not.

GAMBLER

GAMBLER

Posted
Posted

That invasive shrimp is like the Mysis Shrimp that are not around in Lake Ontario anymore.  Hopefully they can fill that niche and be a positive invasive. 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...