Sep 18
“I came, I saw, I conquered!” say invasive species in the Great Lakes: Many of the most abundant species in Lake Ontario are non-native. According to Brian Weidel of the U.S. Geological Survey, “My colleagues and I often joke if we only studied species that were native, most of us in Lake Ontario would be out …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/biodiversity/invasive-species-in-lake-ontario/
Sep 06
Mussels have a bigger job than meets the eye. Listen up for the scoop on these clean water VIPs: They may not look like they’re up to much, but mussels actively filter contaminants along with their food, making them nature’s original water purifier. More than 300 types of mussels are native to North America. And …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/agricultural-runoff/saving-freshwater-mussels/
Jul 06
Counting endangered fish is the first step towards protecting and improving their habitats. Dive in: One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish…research biologist Phillip Willink, PhD, of the Shedd Aquarium is counting endangered and threatened fish. From there to here, from here to there, he’s also mapping their distribution throughout Chicagoland waters. He’s doing …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/sustainable-fisheries/endangered-fish-count/
Feb 20
Get hooked on this charismatic fish . . . Learn more: Fisherman Olaf Nelson of Brookfield, Illinois is hooked on alligator gar. He calls them a charismatic fish. “They’re heavily armored. They have more teeth than just about any other kind of fish you’re going to encounter…,” says Nelson. For a long time, people wrongly assumed …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/sustainable-fisheries/chomp-on-some-gar-knowledge/
Feb 06
Move over, Brita, mother nature has its own water filter. Explore the amazing mussel: Native mussels do some heavy lifting in a stream. “They feed on algae and plankton, and they help to purify that aquatic water system,” says Tamara Smith. That’s Tamara Smith of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She says mussels have …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/green-infrastructure/natures-water-filter/
