There are 17 species of invasive fish that Michigan officials are monitoring.
Six of the species have established populations in Michigan or in the Great Lakes. Those species are the Eurasian ruffe, round goby, rudd, sea lamprey, tench, and tubenose goby. Two of the species have been detected in Michigan or the Great Lakes. Those species are the grass carp and the Japanese/oriental weatherfish.
Nine of the species on Michigan’s list of invasive fish have not been detected in the state or in the Great Lakes. Those species are bitterling, bighead carp, black carp, silver carp, ide, northern snakehead, stone moroko, wels catfish, and zander.
Bitterling
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Names: Rhodeus sericeus
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Status: Not detected in Michigan
Bitterling have not been detected in Michigan. They are found in marshes, lakes, ponds, muddy/sandy pools, and backwaters of rivers. They eat small larvae of insects and plant material.
They need freshwater mussels to reproduce. Female bitterling lay their eggs between the gills of bivalves, once the eggs are fertilized, they hatch inside the live mussel. The fish rids the bivalve of parasites, which is beneficial.
These fish are small. They have a grey-green back with silvery white sides and belly. They have a metallic streak on the hind end of the sides. Their fins are pale orange and have gray shading. The mouth is oblique, inferior, or just terminal. The lower jaw is never longer than the upper jaw.
Bighead carp
Bighead carp have not been detected in Michigan. Bighead carp eat plankton, which is a primary food for many fish that are native to Michigan -- including walleye, yellow perch, and lake whitefish. Bighead carp eat up to 40% of their weight per day. Females can produce up to one million eggs.
Officials said if bighead carp make it to the Great Lakes, they will populate nearshore areas and large rivers -- which could reduce sport and commercial fishing. These fish live in a wide range of temperatures. They have been found in at least 18 states surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River basins.
These fish can grow up to five feet long and weigh up to 90 pounds. They have a large head with a toothless, downturned mouth. The eyes sit below the mouth. Adult bighead carp are dark grey with dark blotches. The keel is between the anal and pelvic fins.
Black carp
Black carp have not been detected in Michigan. They live in large rivers and lakes but require large rivers to reproduce. They can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds. They have elongated, laterally compressed bodies, blackish-bluish gray to almost white bellies, and pointed heads with a flattened front portion.
These fish consume up to 20% of their body weight per day. They eat mollusks and snails. If they become established in the Great Lakes, they could threaten Michigan’s native mussel populations. They would also compete with native mollusk-eating fish including freshwater drum, redhorse species, and lake sturgeon.
Grass carp
Grass carp have been detected in the Great Lakes. These fish can grow longer than 5 feet and weigh more than 80 pounds. Their eyes sit even with the mouth, they have large scales that appear crosshatched, and their dorsal fins are shorter than a goldfish or common carp.
They eat plants and consume up to 90 pounds of food a day. They only digest half of the food and expel the rest, which can contribute to algal blooms. Grass carp are known to destroy weed beds that are used by native fish for spawning.
They like to live in quiet, shallow waters. When temperatures decrease, the fish move to deeper waters. Grass carp are tolerant to low levels of salinity, so they occasionally enter brackish water.
Silver carp
Silver carp have not been detected in Michigan. These fish can grow longer than three feet and weigh up to 60 pounds. They have light, silver bodies with a white body. Their eyes sit below a toothless mouth. The keel extends from the anal fin forward past the pelvic fin base.
They feed on plankton, which is a primary food for many native fish -- including walleye, yellow perch, and lake whitefish. They consume up to 40% of their body weight per day. Each female silver carp can produce up to one million eggs.
Silver carp will leap high out of water when disturbed by boat motors. Boaters have been injured by these fish. If they get into the Great Lakes, these fish could reduce sport and commercial fishing opportunities, officials said.
Eurasian ruffe
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Names: Gymnocephalus cernuus
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Status: Established in Michigan
The Eurasian ruffe is established in Michigan. They can be identified by their olive-brown back side and yellow-white belly. They have fused dorsal fins with no notch and dark spots on membranes between the rays of the fin. They have a small, downturned mouth.
These fish are bottom-dwelling fish that inhabit fresh and brackish waters. They mainly eat aquatic insects, but they occasionally eat the eggs of other fish. They have a well-developed sensory system that helps them feed at night. They have few natural predators.
Ide
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Names: Leuciscus idus
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Status: Not detected in Michigan
Ide have not been detected in Michigan. These fish can reach about three feet long and have “chunky” bodies with an arched back and belly. They have small, bluntly pointed heads and a forked caudal fin. They can be silver or golden in color.
They live in clean, clear pools of medium to large ponds, lakes, and rivers. They tend to eat larval and adult insects, snails, and other invertebrates. Larger ide may also eat small fish.
Michigan officials believe ide could become more of a problem than common carp if they establish a population in the state.
Japanese/oriental weatherfish
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Names: Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
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Status: Detected in Michigan
The Japanese or oriental weatherfish have been detected in Michigan. They have eel-like bodies that are brown with greenish-grey-brown marbled markings on the dorsal side and a pale, silver color on the ventral side. They have small, narrow mouths, with thick and fleshy lips and six barbels. They may reach up to a foot long, but are usually smaller. The female is often longer than the male.
They eat small benthic invertebrates and detritus. They are competition for aquatic insects and that can put native fish populations at risk. They are often found in shallow, low-gradient waters with muddy or silty substrates. They can live in waters with poor oxygen and through long droughts by burrowing into soft substrates. Their intestines act as an accessory respiratory organ.
Northern snakehead
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Names: Channa argus
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Status: Not detected in Michigan
The northern snakehead has not been detected in Michigan. These fish live in many different habitats. They can breathe out of water anywhere from three to seven days. They can use their pectoral fins to move from one body of water to another -- they move slowly and are usually not successful.
Their body length can reach up to 33 inches. The color is generally tan with dark brown mottling. They have sharp teeth, an extended anal fin, and the pelvic fin is up near the gills and pectoral fins.
They are a concern because they do not have any natural predators. They can out-compete native fish species for food.
Round goby
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Names: Apollonia melanostomus
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Status: Established in the Great Lakes
The round goby has an established population in the Great Lakes. They are freshwater fish, but prefer brackish water. They perch on rocks and other substrates in shallow areas of water. They eat zebra mussels, some native snails, aquatic insects, other males’ eggs and smaller fish.
They can grow up to a foot long. The young fish are usually solid slate gray in color, older fish are blotched with black and brown. They have a black spot on the rear of the first dorsal fin. They have a fused pelvic fin.
They are a local concern because they eat a lot and are aggressive, which means they can dominate other native species. They also have a well-developed sensory system that helps them feed at night.
Rudd
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Names: Scardinius erythrophthalmus
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Status: Established in Michigan
Rudd have an established population in Michigan. They can adapt to most environments, but they prefer stagnant and slow-flowing water. Their diet usually consists of fish in the early spring and shifts to mostly vegetation in the summer and fall.
They have a deep and stocky body with a green-brown back, brassy yellow sides, and a near-white belly. They can reach around a foot and a half long. The pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins are bright red-orange. The dorsal and tail fins are red-brown. The tail fin is forked and the lower lip is protruding. There is a red spot on the iris of the eye.
They are a local concern because the impact they have on the environment is mostly unknown. Its ability to shift what it eats gives it an advantage over other species. The rudd could also increase nutrients in the water due to how poorly it processes plant material.
Sea lamprey
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Names: Petromyzon marinus
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Status: Established in Michigan
Adult sea lamprey feed on the body fluids of other fish, usually killing them. Larval lamprey burrow into sediment and live for up to 10 years as filter feeders.
They are found in all five of the Great Lakes and some tributaries in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Sea lamprey have a high reproductive potential and a lack of predators. An established population of sea lamprey has had a “devastating effect on the state’s fishery.”
Sea lamprey have an eel-like body, two close dorsal fins, seven gill openings, and a large, round, mouth with sharp, curved teeth and a rasping tongue.
Stone moroko
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Names: Pseudorasbora parva
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Status: Not detected in Michigan
These fish live in well-vegetated ponds, small lakes, and small channels. They eat small insects, plant material, fish, fish eggs, and planktonic crustaceans. They have not been detected in Michigan, but are a concern because they would compete with farmed fish species for food. These fish could also act as a vector for infectious fish diseases and contribute to eutrophic conditions.
They have a yellowish-green to silver body color and grow to about eight centimeters long. They have a superior and transverse mouth, pale yellow fins, and the dorsal fin has a darker stripe. Young individuals have a dark stripe along the side.
Tench
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Names: Tinca tinca
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Status: Established in Michigan
These fish are freshwater members of the carp family and live in lakes with weedy or muddy bottoms. They eat insect larvae and mollusks. They are able to survive in waters with low-oxygen. Officials do not know if these fish contribute to the degradation of the water quality or if they are just able to live where native species cannot.
They have thick-set bodies ranging in color from deep olive to pale golden tan. Their eyes are bright red/orange in color. They have a small barbell at both corners of the mouth. These fish can be found in Michigan. Officials said it is difficult to identify the impact they have because they are often lumped together with other species in the family.
Tubenose goby
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Names: Proterorhinus semilunaris
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Status: Established in Michigan waters
These fish have established populations in Michigan. They were introduced to the Great Lakes basin and inhabit Lake Superior, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron. They also can be found in Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River.
They eat benthic invertebrates, such as amphipods. Their dietary requirements put them in competition with native darter populations in the Great Lakes. It is believed these fish got to the Great Lakes via ballast water introduction.
Native look-alikes and how you can tell them apart from tubenose goby:
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Spoonhead Sculpin: pelvic fins not fused, all fins lightly speckled except for clear pelvic fins, scaleless body.
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Slimy Sculpin: pelvic fins not fused, scaleless body.
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Mottled Sculpin: pelvic fins not fused, dark spots all over first dorsal fin, scaleless body.
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Deepwater Sculpin: pelvic fins not fused, scaleless body.
Wels catfish
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Names: Silurus glanis
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Status: Not detected in Michigan
Wels catfish live in lowland rivers, backwaters, and well-vegetated lakes. They occasionally enter brackish water in the Black and Baltic seas.
They have not been detected in Michigan, but they are a concern because of their voracious predatory habits. They are nocturnal and eat fish and other vertebrates. They pose a threat to native vertebrates and can reduce water quality.
They can grow up to 10 feet long and live 80 years. They have very large mouths with three pairs of barbels, one pair on the upper jaw and two on the lower jaw. They have brown backs and sides and a nearly-white belly.
Zander
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Names: Sander lucioperca
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Status: Not detected in Michigan
Zander live in eutrophic lakes, brackish coastal lakes/estuaries, and large turbid rivers. They feed on gregarious fishes in pelagic waters. They have not been detected in Michigan.
They have an established population in Spiritwood Lake in North Dakota. Michigan is concerned because if Zander are introduced they could lead to a crash in some fish communities. There is also a concern for hybridization with walleye.
These fish have a slender body, a grey-green back, a white belly, and dark transverse rings. They have two dorsal fins, a pointed head, and many small teeth, and a few large teeth. It is not a hybrid of a pike and perch.
Find more coverage here on invasive species Michigan officials are monitoring.
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