Lake Erie Grows Eerie With Increase In Water Snakes

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Thanks to the hard work of Richard King, an associate professor in biology at NIU who has spent 30 years studying the Lake Erie water snake (Nerodia sipedon insularum), and his star student Kristin Stanford the species has now been removed from the threatened species list. Over the past 11 years they have tracked the population of this one-of-a-kind species found only in Ohio’s Put-in-Bay Harbor. Together they have been tagging and monitoring the species population and have successfully recovered the species. It’s a good thing too, because as it turns out the snakes are feeding on the invasive European goby and are slowly bringing balance back to their ecosystem.

You can also visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website to learn more about the Lake Erie water snakes.

Megan Seymour, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says King and Stanford are primarily responsible for the recovery of the species. Seymour says there were 1,520 to 2,000 adult Lake Erie water snakes when the population was first counted in 1999. Today, King says, there are more than 12,000 Lake Erie water snakes.

The snakes are a key predator in Lake Erie’s aquatic ecosystem — feeding on species such as mudpuppies and native fish such as walleye and smallmouth bass. Since the 1990s, the Lake Erie water snake has preyed upon an invasive fish species from Europe called the goby. The snake has played a vital role in decreasing the goby population, which competes with native fish for food and space.

via USA Today

  No Comments June 14, 2010 by Jonathon Marshall

Filed Under: Culture, Freshwater, Freshwater Species, Goby, Invasive Species, News, Non-Fishing, Oddities, United States
Tagged: ecosystem, fish and wildlife service, invasive fish species, Lake Erie, lake erie water snake, lake erie water snakes, usa today, water snake, water snakes, wildlife biologist
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