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Rainbow Smelt
Osmerus mordax
smelt
Illustration: Dave Brenner
  • Migrated into Lake Michigan (from a connecting inland lake) in 1923 and then to other Great Lakes
  • Contributed to collapse of lake herring population of Great Lakes, according to many scientists
  • Successful commercial rainbow smelt trawl fishery in Lake Michigan and in Canadian waters of Lake Erie
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Updated: 11/11/09