2019-Sep-12
The Invasive Eurasian Tench Fish Could Be Creeping Closer to the Great Lakes
After escaping a Quebec fish farm in the 1990s, Eurasian tench fish made their way into the St. Lawrence River, threatening local fish and disrupting sport and commercial fishing in the area. This highly adaptable bottom-feeder may now be on its way to the Great Lakes. A member of the minnow family, tench fish are voracious eaters, reproduce quickly, and can tolerate low oxygen levels so well that they can live out of water for up to a day. This species tends to favour wetlands, which scientists fear may make the Great Lakes a place for this invasive fish to thrive.
McGill University researchers are currently studying the effects Eurasian tench fish may have on other native fish species found in Quebec rivers to better understand the potential impacts of their spread. Read about how the tench fish got here and what McGill researchers hope to find from their study here.