To return to the Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference website, go to http://www.midwestfw.org/ The following schedule and room names are subject to change (as of February 1, 2017). Please check back for updates.
Presenters: Presenters for technical presentations are either the primary author (the first name listed in the abstract), or are indicated with an asterisk next to their name. Please note: the conference schedule is hosted by Sched.org which allows you to search within the schedule, and filter the schedule to show sessions only occurring on a certain date or within a track. You can also build your own schedule by creating a free account with Sched.org by selecting "SIGN UP" in the top right corner.
AUTHORS: James Beaubien, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University; Jerrod Lepper, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University; Mitchell Nisbet, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University; Daniel Hayes, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University
ABSTRACT: James Beaubien
Jerrod Lepper
Mitchell Nisbet
Daniel Hayes
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824
Tags: New Zealand Mud Snails, invasive species, predation
New Zealand Mud Snails have recently invaded the Great Lakes region, and during the past 2-3 years, have been found in several rivers in the state of Michigan. The Pere Marquette River is the first river where this species was detected in inland waters, and the population of mud snails has grown dramatically since first detection. Fishery managers have concern over the potential impact this species will have on the important fisheries of the Pere Marquette and other rivers, however, little is known about the ecology of this species in the Great Lakes region. New Zealand mud snails have been documented to be consumed by trout, and have even been shown capable of surviving through their gastrointestinal tract. To our knowledge, there have been no investigations of foraging by other fish species on New Zealand mud snails. Species like mottled sculpin, white sucker, and redhorse sucker might be anticipated to be more efficient foragers than trout due to their feeding ecology. As such, we collected specimens of these species at sites infested with New Zealand mud snails and uninfested sites to determine whether these species consume mud snails, and if the presence of mud snails alters their foraging preferences.
