Zebra Mussel

The Zebra mussel has spread to a large number of waterways in the U.S. killing the ecosystem and damaging harbors, boats, and even power plants. Water treatment plants were initially hit the hardest because the water intakes brought in the microscopic free-swimming larvae directly into the facilities. The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that economic losses and control efforts cost the United States about $5 billion each year. Many scientists predict that the Zebra mussel will continue spreading passively, by ship and by personal craft, to even more rivers in North America. Trailered boat traffic is the most likely casue for invasion into the North American west. This spread is highly preventable if boaters take time to thoroughly clean and dry their boats and equipment before traveling to new bodies of water.

There is not a predator or even combination of predators in North America that has been able to significantly reduce Zebra mussel numbers and thus the spread willl most likely result in the permanent establishment of the Zebra mussels in many North American waterways. The Zebra mussel is a filter feeding organism, meaning they remove particles from the water, increasing water clarity and even reducing pollution. Some particles are consumed as food, and feces are deposited on the lake floor. Lake floor food supplies are enriched by Zebra mussels as they filter pollution out of the water.

The Zebra mussel is a huge inconveinece to humans. Since colonizing the Great Lakes they have covered the undersides of docks, boats, and anchors. They have also spread into streams and rivers nationwide. In some areas they completely cover other freshwater mussels. They can grow so densely that they block pipelines, clogging water intakes of municipal water supplies and hydroelectric companies. The Zebra musselis also to be the primary source of the deadly avian botulism poisoning that killed tens of thousands of birds in the Great Lakes since the late 1990s. Marrone BioInnovations is currently heading up an "Invasive Mussel Field Team' in order to test a highly effective product called Zequanox that is designed for Zebra mussel control to prevent any further ecological and economical damage.