#foldoutart

Midwest fish series! (More experimental paper work happening..) This is the skipjack herring, which used to populate the upper Midwest rivers and was effectively eradicated by the Keokuk dam in Iowa. The dam prevented the fish from being able to spawn upriver. They are also the sole transporter of the native elephant ear and ebony shell mussel babies, and their disappearance is contributing to the mass mussel die-offs in midwestern rivers. Mussels are important for water filtration, but it’s hard to empathize with a living rock, so fish are easier.. The skipjacks still inhabit rivers down south, and if you like fishing, they’re a great sport fish because they like to jump around

Midwest fish series! The famous Lake Trout: these were the pride of the Great Lakes until the invasion of the sea lamprey. The toothy eel-like lampreys were stowaways in ships that came through the St Lawrence seaway and released their ballast into the lakes before picking up cargo. The trout population plummeted and they almost went extinct before the lampreys were reined in; today they don’t naturally breed in Lake Michigan; instead, they’re bred in captivity and then “planted” for fishing. They still have a hold in Lake Superior, due to it being cold and deep as hell.

Midwest fish series! The sweet Starhead Topminnow ❤️ This little fish used to populate the wetlands around the lower Wisconsin river. In the late 2000’s, the US went all-in on corn-based ethanol and corn production ramped up to an insane degree. All that new farming caused a great deal of toxic runoff that destroyed the floodplains and sloughs around the lower Wisconsin, and the topminnows vanished. HOWEVER, due to the incredible efforts of conservationists with the WI dnr, led by John Lyons, a small population has been moved above the Prairie du Sac dam (pictured) and is thriving in clean water.