Zebra mussel a serious threat
By MIKE RICHESON
Bigfork Eagle
A tiny creature is quickly making its way toward Montana, and other states are spending billions to mitigate the damage created by the aquatic nuisance.
In the Great Lakes area, the zebra and quagga mussels are ruining popular shorelines, destroying utilities and drastically altering ecosystems.
"There is very little you can do once they become established," Eileen Ryce, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator, said. "It's hard to predict what would happen in Flathead Lake, but in other systems, they take over fairly rapidly."
Zebra mussels, which is native to the Caspian Sea, prefer warmer water with hard surfaces. They cling to these surfaces and then rapidly spread, eventually creating their own substrate. Each mussel, about the size of a quarter, filters a liter of water per day and strips the water of nutrients and small food sources for young fish.
The effects then work up the food chain as the younger fish die from lack of food.
"If I was a fish guide on Flathead Lake, I'd be on the band wagon to keep these things out," Dr. Bonnie Ellis, with the Flathead Lake Biological Station said. "These would change the lake far more than anything introduced previously. They are bad critters."
Not only do the mussels filter large amounts of water, they excrete large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, which in turn creates an environment where algae can thrive.
When the mussels do die, they die in mass numbers and wash up onto the shoreline, where their sharp shells ruin recreation sites.
Underwater pipes are quickly clogged along with the bottoms of boats and boat motors.
"What's unique is that they can cause so much infrastructure damage - power plants, irrigation systems, water treatment systems." Ryce said. "This goes beyond ecological problems."
In the Great Lakes region, where the mussel was first discovered in 1988, power plants have to install treatment facilities to fight the problem. Some companies have to install extra turbines, which they use when the other turbines must be cleared of mussels.
What's worse is that zebra mussels have been spotted in Montana, but not in the water … yet. Two years ago on Halloween night, someone dropped off a jar filled with zebra mussels on the doorstep of the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge office. FWP officials never discovered the who or the why.
A boat from out of state in the Billings area was recently caught with zebra mussels attached to the hull before entering the water.
"We've seen boats come out of the Great Lakes area with zebra mussels," Ryce said. "We haven't seen any around the Flathead area, though. We monitor the entire state. If we find something, we're going to find it early."
The FWP often sets up boat inspections at high-use boat ramps and at high-profile fishing tournaments, although Flathead Lake's Mac Attack hasn't been one of those events because it's not one of the larger tournaments in the state.
"We know that with boats moving around so much, there is a high likelihood of introduction," Ryce said. "Establishment is harder to predict."
The Flathead Lakers have gotten involved in prevention efforts. The group will be installing signs throughout Lake and Flathead counties urging boaters to keep the zebra mussel from invading the area.
To help stop the spread of the zebra mussel, boat owners can take a few simple steps:
? Drain all water from your watercraft before leaving the immediate area of a lake or reservoir
? Remove all weeds, mud or attached organisms from boat, trailer and jet skis
? Always dispose of unwanted bait in the trash, and never bring live bait into Montana
? Regularly wash the exterior of your boat with hot water under high pressure
? Rinse and clean live wells with hot, soapy water
? Allow boat to dry in between trips to different bodies of water