The bi-national Great Lakes Fisheries Commission (GLFC) was formed in 1955 to eradicate the invasive sea lamprey and to provide guidance for Great Lakes fisheries management.
According to the GLFC, lake whitefish populations have declined as much as 80% in the Great Lakes since the late 1990s. This family of fishes have historically been decimated by overfishing, pollution, dead zones, habitat degradation, and invasive fish, including sea lamprey (parasitism), rainbow smelt (predation and competition) and alewife (competition).
Quagga mussels blamed for whitefish declines in Great Lakes
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