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When Crater Lake was originally formed it contained no fish.   Between 1888 and 1941 several species of salmon were introduced into the lake.   Today only kokanee salmon and rainbow trout remain.Kokanee salmon and rainbow trout are the only two species of fish that have survived.  The populations of these fish are very low.   More than 40 different species of fish were introduced into the lake, however, only these two species have survived.

 

Approximately 157 different species of phytoplankton and 12 species of zooplankton have been identified in the waters of Crater Lake.  Algaphogopsis is a Crater Lake mite which is microscopic and lives in the water.  It is a microscopic ani The low concentration of nitrogen in the water has restricted the number of and diversity of these tiny life forms.   Communities of bacteria grow around two areas of hydrothermal activity located at the bottom of the lake.

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