Spiny waterflea were found in Lake Champlain in the summer of 2014. They have since spread throughout the lake. The challenge for us in Vermont is to keep them out of our inland lakes. A recent study of Lake Mendota in Wisconsin found that spiny waterflea there eat 60% of the Daphnia, another zooplankton species which eat a lot of algae. The Daphnia left can’t keep the algae under control and water clarity has been reduced by 3 feet according to the study.
You can read more about the study at Great Lakes Echo.
For the sake of all our lakes, please take the time to clean your boats and equipment.
