The zebra mussel is a small freshwater mussel. It was originally native to the lakes of Russia, but it has been accidentally introduced in many other areas, and has become and invasive species. Zebra mussels get their name from the striped pattern on their shells and they are usually about the size of a fingernail, but can grow in length to approximately 2 inches. Zebra mussel larvae (veligers) are microscopic in size, thus invisible to the naked eye.
So really why do we care? One of the main reasons for not wanting to have them around is the fact that they out-compete with native species for food and by growing on top of and suffocating the native clams and mussels. They also attach to mostly any hard substrate found in the water and have been known to clog intake pipes and cover docks and trailers left in the water.
The good and the bad news for Menominee. The bad news is there are confirmed cases of zebra mussel adults being in both Legend Lake and Moshawquit Lakes and there is no way to get rid of them. The good news is that the Environmental Services Department (ESD) has been sampling each year and as of the summer of 2011 no zebra mussels have been found in LaMotte, Round, Sand, and SE Bass Lakes. The ESD will also continue to sample lakes every year to make sure that the zebra mussels are not spreading.
What can you do to help? Any time you leave a lake, remove an organic material from your boat, and trailer and drain your live well. Don’t move water or fish from lake to lake. If you find what you think is a zebra mussel, bring it into ESD or call us so it can be checked out.
With a little bit of conscious effort by everyone, we can help stop the spread of zebra mussels and other invasive species to other Reservation lakes.
Zebra mussels (S. van Mechelen)
No comments:
Post a Comment