Occasionally lake chubsuckers lay their eggs in bass nests so that the male bass will guard them. Lake chubsuckers were identified as one of the top three fish species eaten by bald eagles in North Central Florida and are also an important food source for largemouth bass. Recently, siltation and coal ash spills have threatened the species and its habitat, placing it on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) and the Species at Risk Act (SARA) lists.