![]() Inspect all watercraft, as well as fishing and SCUBA gear. To prevent their spread, stop at mandatory inspection stations if you are transporting watercraft. ![]() In some areas, potassium chloride has been used to successfully eradicate zebra mussel in localized settings. They have few natural predators in North America, and current control methods involve inspections and mussel removal. Once a water body becomes infested with invasive mussels, eradication is unlikely. They can rapidly clog pipes and other water inlets and outlets, and can cost the water industry up to $1 billion annually for management, which typically entails physically dislodging them from surfaces. They can suffocate native mussels by anchoring onto them by the thousands, and have caused a severe decline of native mussels in some areas. Zebra mussels filter and clean the water at unprecedented rates, resulting in decreased food for native fish and invertebrates, and increased light penetration into the water that can allow explosive growth of bottom algae and nuisance weeds. Adult mussels are sessile and can live for up to 5 years each female can produce over one million eggs per spawning season. Eventually they attach to surfaces such as rocks, pipes, docks, cement, wood, and boat hulls where they feed primarily on algae and phytoplankton. After the eggs hatch, they develop into microscopic free-swimming larvae that move passively downstream on flowing water. Zebra mussels can be distinguished from quagga mussels by having a flattened underside that enables them to remain upright when placed on a flat surface.Īdult zebra mussels release eggs into fresh water (lakes, reservoirs, rivers, ponds, and quarries). Gibbs, Utah DWR Aquatic Invasive Species Biologist, pers. ![]() Immature quagga mussels were previously found in Sand Hollow (2012) and Deer Creek (2015) Reservoirs but have not been found since (R. The zebra mussel is closely related to the invasive and more competitive quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) which currently The two shells are symmetrical with a straight midventral line, and are black or brown with variable white to yellow zebra-like stripes or zigzag patterns. Mature zebra mussels are 1 to 1.5 inches in length. In Utah, immature zebra mussels (veligers) were found in Emery County in 2008 in Electric Lake and Red Fleet Reservoirs, but subsequent sampling efforts have yielded no zebra mussels (R. and hundreds of inland lakes in 28 states (Benson et al. Currently, zebra mussels occur in all large navigable rivers in the eastern U.S. The mussels spread to all five Great Lakes and New York’s Hudson River within five years of their arrival. The Great Lakes in 1988 in discharged ballast water from large ships arriving from Europe. In North America, zebra mussels were first identified in The message was that all moss balls should be treated as though they are infested with zebra mussels. Fish and Wildlife Service and Utah DWR urged these stores and aquarium owners to destroy moss balls to mitigate the risk of introduction (see next page). In early March 2021, it was discovered in moss balls sold at aquarium and pet supply stores in Canada and the U.S. The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a fresh-water mollusk native to Eurasia that disrupts aquatic ecosystems and water infrastructure. Unfortunately, they may be aiding the movement of a destructive invasive. Moss balls are beloved, velvety algal plants that decorate aquariums. Watch out for Invasive Zebra Mussels on Moss Balls
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