Information is rather long and somewhat disconcerting and may or may not
be relevant to this discussion.
ZEBRA MUSSELS SPREADING RAPIDLY ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Date: 19 Sep 1997
From: EnviroLink News Service newsdesk@envirolink.org
ZEBRA MUSSELS SPREADING RAPIDLY
GAINSVILLE, Florida, September 19, 1997 (ENS) - Zebra mussels
expanded their range in the past year, invading 11 new lakes in the
Great Lakes region and dramatically increasing in Lake Champlain,
according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) biologists. The small
fresh-water mussels have continued to impact industrial sites, water
supplies, natural ecosystems and motorized boats from Canada to the Gulf
of Mexico, the scientists report.
Biologists have tracked the zebra mussel since 1988 when it was
first detected in Lake St. Clair, a small lake in the Great Lakes chain.
A new 1997 distribution map shows zebra mussels have spread to 19
states in less than 10 years. The USGS reports new locations in Lake
Champlain on the New York-Vermont border and along the Ohio and
Monongahela Rivers. Older populations in the Great Lakes and the
Mississippi River continue to spread. Biologists believe the population
in the Tennessee River has yet to reach its peak.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported new sightings of zebra
mussels this year on the Ohio River at Dashields Lock and Dam west of
Pittsburgh and at Lock 3 on the Monongahela River near Elizabeth, PA. In
states adjacent to the Great Lakes, zebra mussels continued to expand
their range into many small lakes. Zebra mussels were reported from 90
lakes in the eight states bordering the Great Lakes, up from 79 a year
ago.
Biologists are extremely concerned about a dramatic increase in
range and reproduction of zebra mussels in Lake Champlain. Zebra mussels
can be found throughout the lake, even in the northeastern arm where
they had not been previously reported, the USGS scientists said.
Native to Eastern Europe and Asia, zebra mussels have few natural
enemies in the U.S., and their rapid reproduction has caused widespread
economic and environmental damage. Concentrating at underwater sites
where water flows rapidly, zebra mussels have clogged intake pipes of
community water systems and power stations and have fouled the engine
cooling systems of recreational boats, the USGS scientists said. In May,
it was reported that a paper company had to remove 400 cubic yards of
zebra mussels from its water intake pipes in Lake Michigan at a cost of
$1.4 million.
The USGS tracks and maps the spread of zebra mussels at its
Florida Caribbean Science Center in Gainesville. Updated information is
made available to federal, state and local officials, universities and
private industries.
"The zebra mussel invasion is of grave concern. Our scientists
play an important role in helping develop a blueprint for those charged
with fighting its spread," said USGS Chief Biologist Denny Fenn.
"The maps developed at Gainesville help focus our research
programs by identifying vulnerable sites and conditions," Fenn said.
Other USGS biological research centers are developing and testing a wide
range of strategies to control the spread of the zebra mussel or
minimize its impact, he said.
"Zebra mussels are extraordinarily persistent," said Fenn. "They
are small, can attach themselves to a variety of surfaces and can
survive several days out of water. In fact, live zebra mussels have been
reported in California and Virginia where they were found attached to
boats being trailered from the Great Lakes."
Scientists fear that recreational boaters may unknowingly spread
the zebra mussel from infested rivers and lakes to previously unaffected
waterways. "That's why we are being so vigilant in our mapping and
monitoring efforts," said Fenn.
It is believed that zebra mussels entered the Great Lakes in the
ballast water of commercial ships from abroad. As the ballast tanks were
flushed, the mussels were inadvertently introduced to an environment
where they could thrive without natural enemies to control their
numbers. Their rapid distribution throughout the Great Lakes and major
U.S. river systems is attributed to their ability to attach to boats and
barges using these waterways.
Zebra mussels were named for the striped pattern of their shells.
On average, zebra mussels are less than an inch long, yet each filters
about a quart of water per day to feed on algae. Zebra mussels attach
themselves to hard or rocky surfaces, and will even attach to
vegetation. Layers of zebra mussels several inches thick coat large
areas of substrate in Lakes Erie and Ontario, USGS biologists reported.
The survival of remaining native mussels is now in question. The
invaders attach themselves to the native mussel species, interfering
with their feeding, growth, movement, reproduction and respiration. This
is of particular concern since North America has the greatest variety of
native mussel species in the world, many of which are endangered, said
Fenn.
Information on zebra mussel distribution is used by the U.S.
Department of the Interior, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee
Valley Authority, state agencies, universities, and numerous U.S. and
Canadian private industries.
According to Amy Benson, the USGS zebra mussel database manager,
"Distribution information is available to anyone who can access the
Internet." To see the zebra mussel maps and to track their spread from
1988 to 1997, visit the USGS web site at http://nas.nfrcg.gov/zebra.mussel/
---
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