While you may associate the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago with more exotic aquatic species, it is the fish swimming in Door County that is garnering the attention locally. The Door County Land Trust and Dr. Karen Murchie of the Shedd Aquarium are joining forces to learn more about the longnose suckers that swim in the area.  The land trust helped fund 30 acoustic trackers that will allow Murchie and her team at the Shedd Aquarium learn more about longnose suckers in Heins Creek in Baileys Harbor and the role they play in the ecology of Door County. 

“There’s still a lot we don’t know about suckers, and we can’t protect what we don’t understand,” said Murchie, who is the director of freshwater research at Shedd Aquarium. “Tagging longnose suckers allows us to paint a better picture of their behaviors and needs so we can ultimately help these important fish thrive in the Great Lakes.” 

From the time they are born to the time they die or get eaten, Door County Land Trust Executive Director Emily Wood says longnose suckers are the "unsung heroes" of the area because of the nutrient cycle they helped to create. She is thrilled that an outside organization has taken an interest in it.

Wood says the acoustic trackers, which broadcast the fish’s movement in the water, have a battery life of at least three years. A grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan is also supporting the study. She is excited to work with Murchie and the Shedd Aquarium so they can learn how they and other like-minded organizations can improve as land managers.

Photo courtesy of the Door County Land Trust and Shedd Aquarium