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Cochran, P. A. (1993). The Fox River as an avenue for fish dispersal. Page 116 in 36th Conference of the International Association for Great Lakes Research, De Pere, Wisconsin (USA), International Association for Great Lakes Research.

Dispersal of fishes and other organisms along the Fox River has been of interest for two reasons. First, concerns have been raised about the potential for exotic species to spread from Green Bay up to lower Fox River to Lake Winnebago and its tributaries. Indeed, closure of the Rapid Croche lock in 1988 has been followed by the appearance of white perch, Morone americana, sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, and zebra mussels, Driessena polymorpha, in the lower river. Second, a canal dug in the 1800's at Portage, Wisconsin, connected the upper Fox River and the Wisconsin River of the Mississippi River drainage. A number of fishes and other organisms gained access to the Great Lakes drainage through this connection. Those that have dispersed all the way to Green Bay are typical large river species, whereas species typical of smaller streams have been "sidetracked" into the Wolf River drainage. The suitability of the Fox River as a dispersal route has apparently been enhanced through improvements in water quality. Over forty fish species have been collected in recent years in a sea lamprey assessment trap set in the lower river. These include several species typically associated with habitats of high quality.