1. Invasive Aquatic Species
By: Makayla Hunt

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

3. Eurasian Ruffle

4. Very slimy when handled
Eurasian Ruffle
Very slimy when handled
Less than 6 in.
Perch-like shape

5. Effects on Native Species
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

6. Sea Lamprey

7. 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

8. 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

9. Flathead Catfish

10. 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

11. 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

12. Northern Snakehead (all species)

13. Northern Snakehead (all species)
Native to…
China, Russia, North Korea, South Korea
Appeared
Crofton, Maryland, pond in the summer of 2002

14. Northern Snakehead (all species)
Long dorsal fin with rays
Anal fin with rays
Small depressed head
Large mouth
Villiform teeth in bands
Golden tan to pale brown with

15. Round Goby

16. Native Habitat Food Round Goby Eurasia Black Sea, Caspian Sea
Coastal Lakes, rivers, and lagoons
Freshwater, euryhaline (salt-tolerant)
Food
Nocturnal
Mollusks, crustaceans, worms, fish eggs

17. 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 ounces
Males are larger than females
Young are grey and adults are mottled with grey, black, brown, olive green

18. Tubenose Goby

19. Tubenose Goby Habitat Slightly brackish to freshwater
Under rocks, logs, and shells
Introduced
First found in the Great Lakes
1990
Feed
Zebra Mussels
Aquatic insects

20. 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

21. European Rudd

22. Origin Habitat Food European Rudd
Western Europe to Caspian and Aral Sea basins
Not found in Russia
Origin
Pools, canals, lakes, slow-running rivers with muddy bottoms
Found by vegetation
Habitat
Snails, aquatic insects, small fish
Surface feeders (also at the bottom and at mid-depths)
Food
"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want." - Ben Stein

23. 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, anal rays
Red eyes or eyes with a red spot

24. Asian Carp

25. 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

26. Asian Carp Problem Species Bighead Carp Black Carp Grass Carp
Silver Carp

27. Asian Carp

28. Bighead Carp

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. Grass Carp

33. Silver Carp Leap high into the air (8-10ft) Cause boatmen injuries
Adaptation

34. 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

35. Water Fleas
Spiny Water Flea
Fishhook Water flea

36. Spiny Water Flea

37. 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

38. Fishhook Water Flea

39. 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

40. 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

41. Mussels and Clams
Zebra Mussel
Quagga Mussel
Asian Clam
Asiatic Clam

42. Zebra Mussel

43. Cause Introduced in 1960’s From Europe (Black and Caspian Seas)
Transported to North America in a freshwater ballast

44. Effects Clog water pipes Compete with native species Quickly reproduce
Native mussel populations are suffering
Quickly reproduce
One adult can have a million larvae
The larvae are free floating and can travel long distances

45. Actions Trying to find animals that eat them
Introducing toxic microbes
It is required that ships change ballast water in mid-ocean (kills them)

46. 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

47. Quagga Mussel

48. 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

49. Quagga Mussel Diet Eject Reproduction Phytoplankton Zooplankton Algae
Mucus
Out the incurrent siphon
Particle-free water is then discharged out the excurrent siphon
Eject
Dioecious (either male or female) with external fertilization
Female mussels are capable of producing up to one million eggs per year
Reproduction

50. Asian Clam

51. 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

52. Asian Clam Biofouler Power plants Industrial water systems
Irrigation canals and pipes
Compete
Native Mussel Species
Can tolerate polluted environments
Better 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

53. The End… For Now

54. Asiatic Clam

55. Macro Invertebrates

56. Rusty Crayfish

57. Turtles

58. Red-Eared Slider

59. Frogs and Toads

60. Amphibians