Great Lakes Connection

Communities big and small along the Great Lakes have faced numerous challenges posed by extremely high lake levels over the past several years. These conditions caused significant hardship for many whose livelihoods depend on the lakes.

Fishing tales often include exaggerations about the sizes or numbers caught.

Large fluctuations in water levels are part of the Great Lakes’ natural cycle. Levels have been historically high in recent years but were extremely low less than a decade ago.

Northern pike are among the top predators in the Great Lakes and a prized sport fish. They are even known to happily eat invasive common carp, potentially providing an ecological control in great enough numbers.

The vast majority of grass carp in the Great Lakes basin are reproducing in Ohio’s Maumee and Sandusky rivers, a recent study has found.