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The Negative Effects of the Golden Shiner

The golden shiner --- scientific name notemigonus crysoleucas --- is a small plankton-eating fish about 2 inches long. Just one fish will not cause much damage, but large quantities will. These fish are prolific breeders, and can deplete a lake or local aquatic ecosystem of plankton. Plankton is at the bottom of the food chain, and is a primary food source. By upsetting the bottom of the food chain, a ripple effect occurs, which leads to the eventual starvation of large fish and the complete altering of the infested waters.

  1. Plankton Depletion

    • Researcher Anke Muller-Solger and her colleagues conducted an experiment on Castle Lake in California for the Journal of Plankton Research in 1997. The trout population was reduced on purpose in the lake to see what would happen. The researchers discovered that negative consequences occurred because of the trout population reduction. First, the golden shiner population increased significantly in a very short period of time. Second, since zooplankton is the golden shiner's sole food source, the zooplankton in the lake was depleted. Zooplankton are one-celled animals, as opposed to pytoplankton, which are one-celled plants.

    Ripple Effects

    • When zooplankton is depleted, a ripple effect occurs. A ripple effect can be explained as a situation in which A-affects-B-affects-C-affects-D and so forth. First, other species that feed on zooplankton, such as trout and kokanee, are starved to local area extinction. Second, the dead fish provide an abundant food supply to bottom feeders. The study done by Muller-Solger revealed the population of a small crustacean called a copepod, but commonly called a sand flea, increased significantly. Another discovery was that lake clarity was diminished with significant algae growth. All of these are the negative consequences of an increase in golden shiner populations.

    Cosequences of Illegal Transportation

    • In 1984, the United States brought charges against a bait supplier for bringing golden shiners into Maine. In the proceedings, the problem of invading fish was discussed. The problem of a non-native fish invading local waters is significant. Since they have no natural predators, population growths explode, driving out native fish. Also, parasites found in the illegal golden shiners invade other fish, resulting in eventual extinction.

    Abatement efforts

    • In 2010, eradication efforts began in Deer Creek Reservoir near Pierce, Idaho. It's believed the golden shiners were introduced illegally. The "Outdoor News Daily" reported that this is a large trout area, and golden shiners will eradicate the trout population. Several negative consequence developed. First, it will cost at least $60,000 to treat the reservoir with rotenone, a chemical that only attacks golden shiners. There's no guarantee of success. Second, the lake level was dropped, so no golden shiners or rotenone would escape. Third, potassium permanganate has to be purchased to neutralize any accidental spills of rotenone. All this costs large quantities of time, money and effort to eradicate golden shiners.

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