09/02/2026
Have you ever heard of the spiny water flea? In early August, National Loon Center staff participated in Spiny Surveillance—a community science monitoring program designed to track the spread and catch early infestations of spiny waterflea. This program is facilitated through the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) and the University of Minnesota Extension, who have assembled sampling kits stationed around the state available for check-out and use by community scientists! Interested in getting involved? Visit https://maisrc.umn.edu/spinysurveil to learn more!
Spiny waterfleas are native to Northern Europe and Asia and were introduced to North America in the 1980s through cargo ships discharging ballast water in the Great Lakes. There are currently 68 infested lakes in Minnesota, mostly in the northern part of the state and in Lake Mille Lacs. When spiny waterfleas invade a new lake, they feed on and compete with native zooplankton, destabilizing the food web with effects that cascade up to top predators like loons. They can also be a problem for anglers, who might find groups of them clogging the eyelets of a fishing rod!
