The invasive bloody red shrimp have made their way to Lake Superior, and authorities are keeping a close eye on them. The tiny freshwater creature originated in the area of the Caspian Sea but managed to cross an ocean in the ballast water of ships, and eventually migrated west across the Great Lakes.
But are they harmful? Will Bloody Red Shrimp alter the local ecology? Will humans be affected? Those are all unknowns at this point, but tracking is well underway. "We could find no evidence of impacts of bloody red shrimp in the research across the Great Lakes," says Doug Jensen, Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Planner with the Minnesota DNR. "They can feed on over a hundred native plankton in a day... that's telling us that they're likely having impacts on localized areas, but we haven't been able to measure on any kind of large scale."
Perhaps more noteworthy is that bloody red shrimp are the first invasive to arrive in the area since 2006. "Across the Great Lakes we are shutting down the pathways for introduction [of invasives]," says Jensen. "We're controlling ballast water, we're controlling bait use, anglers are doing the right thing... outreach and education can really go a long way." In keeping with civic responsibility, the public is asked to report sightings of bloody red shrimp in Lake Superior through EDDMaps.
Although the future impact of bloody red shrimp is unknown, diligence and education will seemingly continue to be the keys to a future for healthy waterways in the area.
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