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Subject: Fow William Re : Zebra....
From: "Claude Genest" <genest@together.net>
Organization:
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 00 23:07:17
Message-ID: <MOD$000828.13667@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$000819.94@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$000821.20607@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



Hi William,

Just curious why you chose to include that article on Zebra mussels ?

I live on Northernmost Lake Champlain but have a different take on the
little suckers.

While scientists are bemoaning their very existence, I can't help but wonder
why ?

We call them a pest because they:

-Clog water lines
- Cut swimmers feet

But actually, they are not a pest to the lake at all - Au Contraire ! -
they in fact are repsonsible for the lake being cleaner than its been in
decades !t.

They are filterers par excellence !

I mention all this because I keep thinking how they might be used in a home
greywater recycling system ( constructed wetlands etc) and wonder if anyone
else would have any input on this ?

As to your Algae problem, here's my take: Consider which "guild" of fish
species you might have so that one feeds off the wastes of another.

For example, some fish stay on top, eating bugs, like Perch, some circulate
in the middle ( eating the fish poop etc from above), like Bass, while still
others stay on and clean up the bottom like catfish, crayfish, carp.

Pollution is just unused material - don't waste waste ! ( I understand
Tilapa is a good multi-purpose fish for you in climes warmer than my zone
4 )

Lastly, as a quickie solution to ridding a pond of green algae - I
understand that tossing a straw bale in to the pond works wonders ( the
carbon rich bale absorbs the nitrogen rich algae)

Best Rergards,

Claude

William Kurnig wrote in message
news:MOD$000821.20607@rec.gardens.ecosystems...
>
> Reply regarding "Mussels"
>
> 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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