How did fish get into the Great Lakes?

There are a few different ways. One way is that fish can simply swim from a river into a lake. This is usually only possible if the river is connected to the lake by a narrow channel of water. Another way is that fish can “ride” the currents of a river as it flows into a lake.



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Some species of salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for sport and commercial fishing, but these populations have not been established and are not self-sustaining.

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Salmon are not a native fish species to the Great Lakes. There is another non-native fish species that was introduced to these bodies of water that is also an invasive species–sea lamprey. These fish were accidentally introduced into the Great Lakes between 1936-1946.

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Once adult pacific salmon re-enter fresh water on their way to spawning grounds, they stop eating. This is why it is so important to gather nutrients while in the saltwater. If they are unable to store the energy required to make migration they will not survive long enough to reproduce.

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