 |
 |
       |
 |
Strategic plan targets invasive species
The Superior Daily Telegram (11/17)
Douglas County’s Land Conservation Committee is forwarding a plan to the county board that takes aim at invasive species.
Mich. Clean Marina Program: Public-private partners work together to improve water quality
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/9)
Partners from the public and private sector in Michigan are working together in a voluntary program to improve the quality of the Great Lakes.
Researchers seek funding for wind test site in Lake Michigan
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/7)
In a recent article in The Muskegon Chronicle, it was reported that researchers at Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) cited a lack of year-around data (on wind platform testing) needed by prospective development companies.
COMMENTARY: Senate needs to pass clean energy act to help Michigan
The Grand Rapids Press (10/26)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was absolutely correct with his recent proclamation about the current condition of the Great Lakes State: "The State of Michigan," Reid declared from the Senate Floor, with a copy Time Magazine in his hand, "is in trouble."
First Nation women 'walk the environmental talk'
WeNews (10/23)
Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation.
City making big push for water school
The Business Journal (10/23)
The push is on to convince the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the best location for its new School of Freshwater Sciences is near the university’s existing Great Lakes Water Institute on East Greenfield Avenue.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
Is there still a problem with chemicals getting into the walleye from eating the round goby, who eat zebra mussels?
from Megan in Brookpark, Ohio
To answer your question—YES! The process you've described is called biomagnification. Some toxic chemicals found in the Great Lakes, such as DDT and PCBs, are stored in the fatty tissue of organisms, and when one organism is consumed by another, these toxins are further concentrated in the bodies of the predator. This is repeated at each step in the food chain. Biomagnification occurs regardless if non-native species are involved or not, and it occurs in every waterbody around the world.
The top predators in a food chain, such as trout or salmon, may accumulate concentrations of a toxic chemical high enough to cause serious deformities or death. Humans must also be careful about eating certain fish, because the concentrated toxins could affect our health as well. Every year, each Great Lakes state publishes a fish consumption advisory, which informs the public of what quantities of various types of fish from different waterbodies are safe to eat. For a listing of fish consumption advisories, go to GLIN's Fish Consumption Advisory page.
The Environmental Protection Agency provides a detailed look at biomagnification.
Thank you for your question!
Answered on November 15, 2000