"TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- A one-two punch of excessive nutrients and ravenous mussels is causing a sharp drop-off in Great Lakes fish populations and the worst outbreak of algae blooms in decades, says a report released Tuesday."
"Runoff from farms, city parking lots and other sources is causing a flood of nutrients such as phosphorus in near-shore areas and bays, the National Wildlife Federation said in a report based on government and university studies. Meanwhile, deeper waters are experiencing the opposite problem: Invasive quagga and zebra mussels are gobbling too much food, causing fish higher up the chain to go hungry.
'This feast-and-famine dichotomy is unprecedented,' said Julie Mida Hinderer, the report's primary author. 'Rapid and drastic ecosystem changes are altering the Great Lakes from top to bottom. The impacts we're seeing are a sign that the Great Lakes need urgent help.'"
John Flesher reports for the Associated Press October 4, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Shoreline Mussels Eat Nutrients From Lake, Wildlife Group Says" (McClatchy-Tribune)
"Great Lakes Face Stresses From Run-Off, Invaders" (Reuters)
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