Scaup Disappear

Twenty-five years ago, there were twice as many scaup in North America as there are today. Starting in 1986, non-native zebra mussels spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes. And scaup love to eat them. However, zebra mussels and other shellfish accumulate contaminants, including selenium, from refineries and farm fields. And selenium is toxic to wildlife in any more than minute concentrations. Scaups (like this Lesser Scaup) that have high levels of selenium may not be able to reproduce. Learn more.

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