MILWAUKEE, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Chub, a small fish found only in the Great Lakes, has become a rare find in stores in the U.S. Midwest thanks to zebra mussels and other invasive species.
Fishermen say catches have become so small in Lake Michigan going out for chub is no longer worth the fuel, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Thursday. Dan Anderson of Milwaukee said the last time he went out he got 45 pounds of chubs out of 18,000 feet of nets.
The chubs he did bring in were not the fat fish prized as a holiday treat in Wisconsin.
"The larger chubs that are marketable aren't out there. There are a lot of smaller ones that, with enough food, will grow to market size," Anderson said. "But quite honestly, I don't think there's enough food in the lake."
Zebra mussels, tiny shellfish native to Russia, were first reported in the Great Lakes in 1988 and have multiplied and become a major nuisance. Anderson said when he hauls in his nets he pulls in large amounts of zebra mussels.
