BY JESI MUNGUIA
Lake Huron is the subject of a new long-term research program. The lake will be "put under a microscope" to study the recent changes in its ecosystem.
According to scientists Lake Huron has been invaded by dreissenid mussels.
The mussels have removed phytoplankton which serve as the foundation of the food web and also lead to increased water clarity. As a result, the mussels are, in effect, robbing the food web and making beach shores full of muck.
With the decline of nutrients in the lake there have been food shortages for prey fish like salmon. But at the same time, scientists have noted that walleye and smallmouth bass like fish are increasing.
Henry Vanderploeg is the leader in the ecosystem dynamics group for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. He said this is something we are concerned about...
"The reason that we're concerned about this, in all these lakes people attempt to manage for water quality. They don't want the beach muck washing up on the beaches and at the same time they want a healthy food web that supports salmon. So we're trying to understand this to manage for fisheries production and water quality."
Vanderploeg said he hopes that this will launch into a longer term program that will monitor the conditions of the lake.