Zebra mussels have spread across the country

[Dive-aholic]

Mods, please don't delete. I posted this in this forum to spread the word, in the AZ forum for its regional significance, and the Marine & Ecosystems forum for its biological significance. Thanks.

An established zebra mussel colony was found in Lake Mead (AZ/NV) last Saturday and confirmed yesterday. This is the first discovery of a zebra mussel colony west of the 100th meridian. Zebra mussels do filter the water and create better visibility, which is good for divers, but almost everything else they do is bad, including increase the costs of keeping dam intakes clean of them so they don't clog them. Check out my website home page for more information and a couple of links.

 

[Gary D.]

That sucks! Now if we could train them to eat Millfoil we would have it made.

Gary D.

 

[archman]

You know you want 'em Gary. They'll make your waters glisten. Don't be whiny.

 

[Ben_ca]

Why isn't there a quarantine process for boats crossing state lines?

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Why isn't there a quarantine process for boats crossing state lines?

Good Question.

I'm just speculating but probably has to do with tourism dollars, or the loss thereof. Unless it was a federal law the states with such a quarantine program would be at a disadvantage to the states with a program.

Again, just speculation, but the boating lobby would probably fight a quarantine plan.

Here in Maine, there are signs warning boaters to make sure their boats are clean, and I believe the state police do stop boaters to inspect them. But it's easy for us, we border only one other state and there is really only one major highway into the state. Pretty much everywhere else there are roads coming from all directions.

Jeff

 

[Ben_ca]

Here in CA we have the ag checkpoints but alas they are often unmanned

 

[Gary D.]

All it takes is having a few of them somewhere in the engine and they get spread. Almost impossible to kill without some kind of acid dip for your boat. That would give Green Peace heart attack.

The same goes for Millfoil. Just a small piece of it goes wild. Kind of Miami during spring break.

Gary D.

 

[Nemrod]

Scuba divers also have been implicated in spreading the zebra mussels, some on purpose (which is illegal BTW) and some inside of BCs and other scuba equipment. Maybe they should confiscate BCs, don't need them anyways and now they are known to be an environmental hazard. N

 

[MikeFerrara]

Zebra muscles have really made a mess out of a lot of the Great Lakes wrecks. The vis got better but you can't see the wrck through the muscles.

I've been told that they seem to be dying off in some areas but I don't know if it's true or to what extent. In the Lakes, I think the gobies may eat them but they don't belong there either.

 

[SwimJim]

Why isn't there a quarantine process for boats crossing state lines?

Zebra mussels are also spread by waterfowl. You can only slow them down. Interesting here in Lake Michigan is another invasive specie, the Goby are eating the zebra's. I have noticed that there was an explosion of Goby in Door county last year. This year the zebra count is way down and so is the goby. The small mouth bass population is plenty good though and the goby run and hide when they are about. Seems to me mother nature is balancing things out.

Jim