This fish blog will answer the major question, “Are there fish in the great salt lake?” we will also discuss the major fish species surviving in the great salt lake, the reasons why most fish species cannot survive in the great salt lake, and what should be done to make it a habitat for fish species around the world.
Are there fish in the great salt lake?
Following are the fish species in the great salt lake:
- Brine shrimp
- Cutthroat trout
- Common carp
These three are the most common species found in the great salt lake. Most of the previous fish species that lived in the great salt lake weren’t able to survive due to many reasons.
What are the major fish species that are present in the great salt lake?
Following are the fish species that are present in the great salt lake:
Brine shrimp
The first fish species is brine shrimp which is not a fish species but a crustacean. This sea creature is very tough and can survive the harsh environment around it. It can tolerate the hypersaline environment of the great salt lake and can feed on the algae and fungi in it.
This crustacean has importance in the U.S. industry which supplies seafood. This sea creature can be used for culturing fish in a controlled environment. They are harvested from the great salt lake in their cyst life stage and used to make many commercially available products in the market.
The brine shrimp is important for the natural ecosystem of the land. They finish off the algae growing there with their legs. Brine shrimp is highly nutritious for your fish and most fish love to consume it as in their diet.
Many birds flying there near the great salt lake happen to feed on these brine shrimp so brine shrimp are not useless laying there but they survive for a purpose there.
Cutthroat trout
Trout is the inhabitant of freshwater and they cannot survive in the hypersaline water of the great salt lake. One species of trout known as the cutthroat trout happens to survive in a great salt environment where there is a high amount of salt content in it.
Cutthroat trout has a red line on the lower side of its jaw which is the typical mark of the cutthroat trout. It is called cutthroat trout because by looking at its jaws, you may imagine that its jaws are cut from one side but it is actually natural.
The great salt lake was not the only habit of the cutthroat trout but they happened to live somewhere else where they were forced to leave it. The species of trout living in the great salt lake is the Bonneville cutthroat trout. They happen to settle there due to the unavailability of suitable habitats for these kinds of fish.
Common carp
This fish is famous for its lack of stomach. They lack a stomach and the food directly comes to the intestine where it is digested and further absorbed. They are notorious for consuming the eggs of other fish and can destroy a group of fish in no time.
They usually live in a hypersaline environment. They can tolerate hypersaline water up to some extinct.
Why were most of the fish species unable to live in the great salt lake?
Following are the reasons why most fish species were unable to live in the great salt lake:
- The first reason was the hypersaline environment of the great salt lake, the high amount of salt content can pierce the gills and the body of the fish leading to dehydration and death of the fish species.
- The next reason was the predators there such as the migrating birds which happen to capture fish and eat them along the way. They feed on the fish in the past but as the fishes become extinct they started to feed on the brine shrimp.
- The next reason is the pollution that was part of the great salt lake in the past where most of the companies were dumping their wastes directly in the great salt lake leading to the death of the fish in the great salt lake.
What could be done to make a great salt lake suitable for fish species?
The pollution should be decreased and we are good to go. Saltwater fishes can easily live in the great salt lake.
Conclusion
In this fish blog, we answered a major question, “Are there fish in the great salt lake?” we also discussed the major fish species surviving in the great salt lake, the reasons why most fish species cannot survive in the great salt lake, and what should be done to make it suitable for the fish species around the world.
