Invasive Mussels cleaned Great Lakes, but put native Whitefish at risk of vanishing forever

Invasive zebra and quagga mussels have reduced diporeia, a key food source for young lake whitefish, by consuming phytoplankton.

The mussels arrived in the Great Lakes via ship ballast water and have disrupted the food chain without directly attacking whitefish.

Lake whitefish numbers have declined sharply since the 1990s, especially in Lake Erie, due to reduced juvenile survival.

While the mussels have made the water cleaner by removing pollutants, they have damaged the natural food web.

Scientists warn that lake whitefish could vanish from some parts of the Great Lakes within five years.