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The spiny water flea, Bythotrephes (bith-o-TREH-feez)
cederstroemi, a small predacious crustacean, has an average length
slightly larger than 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) of which 70% is a long,
sharp, barbed tail spine. First introduced into the Great Lakes
ecosystem in 1984 via ballast water that was discharged into Lake
Huron, they have spread to all of the Great Lakes by 1987 and
currently infect inland lakes in Michigan and Southern Ontario. Their
rapid reproduction, general lack of predators and direct competition
with young fish for food yields them the potential to alter the food
webs of the Great Lakes.
text: “Spiny Tailed Bythotrephes in
the Great Lakes” 1991. The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network |
