The chubsucker is a modest member of the sucker family native to the Great Lakes region. It's rare and getting rarer. In fact it's listed as threatened in New York and a species at risk in Canada. With a name that sounds vaguely like an obscenity, it's an unlikely candidate for a rallying cry to save it. But in saving the chubsucker, we will have to take actions that will help to save the Great Lakes themselves.Suitable habitats are thought to be decreasing in size and quality,predominantly due to agriculture-induced siltation and wetland drainage. So, in order to save the chubsucker, we'll need to reduce agricultural run-off and preserve wetlands--just what the doctor ordered for the Great Lakes as a whole. The Tillonsburg News recently ran a story on the recovery plan for the lake chubsucker and this quote sums it up well:
"Species at risk tend to be the more sensitive species," says Shawn Staton, a recovery planner for DFO's species at risk program. "They're like the canaries in the coal mine. If you take care of them, you tend to take care of all the species in an ecosystem."
Read more on Save the chubsucker, save the Great Lakes! from Steve Huyser-Honig Great Lakes For All
