Zebra muscles in MN lakes

[Navy Jr.]

There was a story in this morning's Minneapolis Star Tribune on how zebra muscles were found in big numbers in one of the popular local lakes (Prior Lake). This is very discouraging, indeed.

The biggest and most popular lake near the Twin Cities is Lake Minnetonka, and folks who live on its shores are really concerned. The association there has put forth an idea for the DNR to make users of public ramps pay a launch fee to cover the cost of boat inspections to make sure no one is bringing exotic species into the lake.

Hope it doesn't come to that. Instead, we all need to do a good job cleaning our boats and draining our live wells when we pull them out of the water.

Perhaps they could put up better signs at the ramps to educate everyone. The ones that are there now don't really get the attention they deserve.

Other ideas?

 

[Expidia]

Re: Zebra muscles in MN lakes

We have them in Lake Champlain. We also have the Milfoil weed in other lakes.

Many of our pristine lakes that are not infected yet, have volunteers that "give of their time" to sit in a chair at the launch ramps and come over to you before you can launch with a clipboard to check off if you have just come from another body of water and inspect your trailer for hanging vegetation. They hand you informative leaflets to make us all aware of these infestations.

You might want to start a volunteer group on your own as signs are pretty much useless..

See below "each" female can produce up to a million eggs within a year . . . that's scary.

Off the web:
About zebra mussels:
Zebra mussels are an invasive species in North America, first seen in 1988. They are believed to have been brought to the continent via ships from Europe, being in the ballast water of the vessels. They have since caused a disruption to local mussel populations due to their voracious appetites. They attach to hard surfaces by byssus threads. Zebra musssels originated in the Ponto-Caspian region of western Russia. They are bivalve mollusks, having two shells hinged by a strong adductor muscle. Female zebra mussels can produce 30,000 to 1,000,000 eggs within a year, which further complicates the potential for reducing native species. The larvae are called veligers.

 

[beermunk]

Re: Zebra muscles in MN lakes

Muscles are easy to watch out for - if you EVER get milfoil though sell your property asap. They just drained a local lake because the milfoil was so bad you couldn't run a motor through it. A winter without water was the only way to kill the stuff, apparently. We will see come this summer.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Zebra muscles in MN lakes

We got 'em in some areas of Lake of the Ozarks. A lake with over 1,000 miles of shoreline.

On another site, a guy posted a photo of a plastic chair that was blown into the lake last spring and recovered this week. It was completely covered.

So far none where we are, but realistically I know it is just a matter of time. I am not worried about the boat as it is on a lift. My dock and lift is a concern.

I'll just have to keep an eye out and keep a paint scraper handy.

 

[ddrieck]

Re: Zebra muscles in MN lakes

One of our local news crews interviewed an officer with the Wyoming Game and Fish and was on this evenings news. To date Wyoming does not have an infestation, that they know about, in any of our waters. However, the Game and Fish are ramping up there efforts to get the work out about this mussel. There is talk of boat boat inspections at all Wyoming State Recreation Reservoirs. They said all the surrounding states have infestations to some degree of severity. Their saying its only a matter of time before someone brings a boat in from out of state and spreads this mussel. I don't know much about them and plan to do some google research tonight. Does anyone have a picture of this dreaded parasite? What exactly is the damage this mussel does to a body of water/

Darren

 

[Expidia]

Re: Zebra muscles in MN lakes

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Zebra muscles in MN lakes

DD - they attach themselves to anything and everything that is in the water. Attached is a chair that was in the one water less than a year.

The other thing is that they can be very sharp.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Zebra muscles in MN lakes

Ya, in lakes that are infested you have to wear sneakers or sandals, Croc's etc or you will cut your feet stepping on them.