COLUMBUS, OH - State wildlife biologists today confirmed the presence of the fishhook waterflea (Cercopagis pengoi), an invasive exotic plankton species, in the central basin of Lake Erie and are urging anglers to help prevent the spread of the aquatic nuisance, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
This past week, charter boat captains reported dense mats of the exotic plankton accumulating on their trolling lines while fishing near Fairport Harbor. Wildlife biologists collected plankton samples and determined they contained high densities of fishhook waterfleas.
We want to make every effort to stop this nuisance species before it spreads to other Ohio waters, said Gary Isbell, fisheries administrator for the ODNR Division of Wildlife. We ask Lake Erie anglers and boaters to help by following some easy, preventive measures.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife offers the following precautions to prevent the spread of invasive species:
- Thoroughly clean all fishing tackle, diving gear, nets, boats and anything else that may hold water before moving from one body of water to another.
- Drain water from boat motors, live wells, bilges and transom wells while on land before leaving a water area.
- Empty bait buckets on land upon leaving the water and before you leave the area. Do not release live bait into a body of water or release animals from one body of water into another.
- Discard contaminated fishing line and nets that are uncleanable.
First reports of the fishhook waterflea in Lake Erie came last year in the Canadian portion of Lake Eries western basin near Leamington, Ontario. The species has already infested much of the Great Lakes, and is currently found in Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario and Lake Huron.
The fishhook flea is another in a list of exotic species, like its cousin the spiny waterflea (Bythotrephes), zebra mussels, and quagga mussels that have entered the Great Lakes through ballast water discharge of large shipping vessels.
Because the fishhook flea (Cercopagis) is closely related to the spiny waterflea (Bythotrephes), it has been observed in the same areas and thought to occupy the same niche in the Lake Erie food web. Both are expected to become dominant components of the offshore plankton population in Lake Erie's central basin. Spiny waterfleas already contribute to the diets of many important sportfish species, including yellow perch, white bass, young walleye, steelhead and white perch.
ODNR Division of Wildlife biologists at the Fairport Fish Station are completing their seasonal assessment of the central basin of Lake Erie this month.