how to decrease zebra mussel population?
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['Inspect boat, trailer, and other recreational equipment that have been in contact with water.', 'Remove all mud, plants, or animals.', 'Drain all bilge water, live wells, bait buckets, and all other water from your boat, engine and equipment.']
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Zebra mussels are an invasive, fingernail-sized mollusk that is native to fresh waters in Eurasia. ... They filter out algae that native species need for food and they attach to--and incapacitate--native mussels. Power plants must also spend millions of dollars removing zebra mussels from clogged water intakes.
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Zebra mussels are suspension feeders, eating phytoplankton, small zooplankton, large bacteria, and organic detritus by filtering the water and straining out the edible material. Phytoplankton and zooplankton form the base of the aquatic food web, so many animals depend on them for survival.
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Zebra mussels probably arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s via ballast water that was discharged by large ships from Europe. They have spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes region and into the large rivers of the eastern Mississippi drainage.
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By lifting the motor out of the water you will reduce the chances of zebra mussels colonizing the intake grate. Fully discharge any water that may still remain in the lower portion of the cooling system as this water may contain veligers.
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Remove any aquatic weeds and scrape off and throw away any suspected mussels. Drain all water from your boat and equipment before leaving the lake or pond. Do not reuse any live bait that has contacted infested water. Thoroughly rinse and dry boats, motors and trailers when you get home.
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ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS By filter-feeding large amounts of plankton, zebra and quagga mussels remove a major food source for most of the lake life. Their filter- feeding capacity can substantially clear the water column, allowing more light to reach the lake floor, which increases photosynthesis in bottom-dwelling plants.
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Zebra mussels can be introduced into an isolated lake by attaching themselves to boats or boat trailers and then reproducing in the new, isolated lake. To prevent the spread of zebra mussels, workers should refrain from building connecting waterways.
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Boats and equipment may be pressure washed to remove veligers and juvenile zebra mussels. Biologists who have studied zebra mussels recommend using high-pressure hot water to remove and kill zebra mussels that are attached to your boat hull (use water >104 degrees F if possible).
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Zebra mussels live in still or slow-moving freshwater, and attach themselves to any hard surface under water, natural or man-made, including rocks, submerged wood, boat hulls, buoys, docks, and water intake pipes. They need water will dissolved calcium to live, and they grow best if the water is not acidic at all.
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They threaten native fish by consuming food and smothering other species. As with zebra mussels, they can clog pipes and water intakes, and cause damage to hydroelectric dams and irrigation systems.
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Zebra mussels are an invasive, fingernail-sized mollusk that is native to fresh waters in Eurasia. ... Zebra mussels probably arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s via ballast water that was discharged by large ships from Europe.
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Zebra Mussel filters water to the point where food sources such as plankton are removed, altering food webs. This also causes clearer water, allowing sunlight to penetrate deeper, increasing growth of aquatic vegetation.
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Their sharp shells can cut a swimmer's foot. They can have health impacts on fish, wildlife and humans. Zebra Mussels filter contaminants from the water, and can move them up the food chain as mussels are consumed by fish and wildlife.
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Zebra mussels are primary consumers, since they eat algae and other small producers.
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Several organisms, such as diving ducks, crayfish, eel, common carp, pumpkinseed, European roach, and freshwater drum, have been found to consume zebra mussels. Several other fish species are listed as potential predators of zebra mussels because of their historic consumption of other native molluscs.
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Adult zebra mussels start to reproduce in the spring, when water temperatures rise to about 12°C. In habitats where they water stays warm year round, they may reproduce continuously. Females release eggs into the water, and males release sperm, and fertilization occurs after they are released.