First Bloody Red Shrimp Record for Suttons Bay

The first sighting of a bloody red shrimp, Hemimysis anomala, was made today in a sample from an experimental plankton pump, set up to run overnight at the ISEA Schooner Dock in Suttons Bay.  This animal is an invasive species from the Black - Azov - Caspian Sea area of Eurasia.  It likely got to the Great Lakes in the ballast water of ships.  For more on Hemimysis ecology, look at the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species web site.

The plankton pump was in its first overnight test, starting on Friday afternoon, April 5, 2013.  The pump was at 0.84 meters depth on a rocky substrate. Unfortunately the battery did not have enough capacity to run the pump for 24 hours, so the next test will incorporate an inverter or battery charger to keep the battery voltage the same throughout the pumping period.  Despite the failure of this first test to give a quantitative result, we did find what we were looking for, the bloody red shrimp.  This zooplankton has been previously found in Muskegon Lake and Elk Rapids. 

After the plankton pump sampler is perfected we intend to sample a number of harbors in NW Michigan, and we will add this to the sampling gear of the Schoolship Inland Seas to sample ports visited this summer.

Hemimysis collected from Suttons Bay, April 5 - 6, 2013

Hemimysis tail section showing telson

Hemimysis showing characteristic twin spikes on the squared-off telson

More results will be posted on this blog as they become available.

-Thomas M. Kelly - ISEA Executive Director
-Graham P. Kelly - ISEA Student Intern