I thought that this might of interest to those that boat along the colorado river corridor.
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...205114,00.html
Has anyone else had any experience (positive or negative) with these mussels?
In case the link doesn't work, here is the text of the article:
A zebra mussel is no larger than the tip of a man's finger. It's hard to imagine anything so small could be a threat to something as large as Lake Powell — but it is.
National Park ServiceThe tiny zebra mussel is no larger than the tip of a person's finger. A single mussel can produce a million young a year. A single mussel can produce upward of a million young a year. A year later, that one zebra mussel could be responsible for a trillion descendents.
At this point, authorities believe there are no zebra mussels in Lake Powell, but the threat of an invasion by the tiny crustaceans heightened in January when they were found downstream in Lake Mead.
The discovery also threatens other Utah waters, mainly Quail Creek and Sand Hollow reservoirs near St. George.
Steps are being taken to try to prevent the transfer of the mussels. Consensus is, however, that someday the transfer will happen.
Boat owners headed for any of the three waters — Lake Powell, Quail Creek and Sand Hollow — are being asked a series of questions at check-in fee stations.
If a boat has been used on any water along the Colorado River corridor downstream from Lake Powell, or on waters in the Mississippi drainage or the Great Lakes within 30 days, the boat will be checked and the owners asked to comply with a cleaning procedure. They can:
• Wash down the boat and allow it to sit for five days prior to a scheduled arrival.
• Take the boat to a nearby cleaning station where it can be washed down with scalding-hot water.
Cleaning stations have been set up at Wahweap, Bullfrog and Halls Crossing marinas on Lake Powell, and plans are in the works to set up stations near Quail Creek and Sand Hollow.
Since the discovery in January, officials have now found the mussels in a number of waters below Mead, including Havasu, Mohave and inlet pipes to both California and Arizona.
National Park Service At first it was believed the tiny crustacean found in Mead were the common zebra mussels. It was later discovered they were a subspecies of the zebra, called quagga mussels.
The mussels originally came from Europe with large oceangoing vessels headed for the Great Lakes region. They were first detected in the Great Lakes 18 years ago. The quagga were discovered within the past 10 years. The quagga are more of a threat because they can live at greater depths, can attach to a wider range of substrate and are more prolific. The quagga is often described as a zebra on steroids.
It is believed that a boat moored somewhere in one of the Great Lakes was brought to Mead with quagga mussels attached.
Once in a water, a quagga can produce upward of 30,000 eggs with each spawn and can spawn several times a year.
Once hatched, they form large colonies. As many as 70,000 have been found to occupy an area that measures one square meter.
Unlike the zebra mussels that must attach to hard surfaces, the quagga can attach to a wide range of structures. On a fluctuating lake, like Powell, they can form layers up to 18 inches thick below the surface along shorelines. When the water recedes, these barriers are uncovered. When the mussels die, they break apart and create a surface of sharp, cutting shells over a sandy shore. Also, as the uncovered mussels die, they create an awful smell.
A more immediate threat is the mussels are quick to attach to a hard surface and can therefore clog pipes.
"You can put a bucket in the water at night and the next morning you'll find they've already started to colonize," said Wayne Gustaveson, project biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources at Lake Powell.
Since they do clog pipes, they are a particular concern to managers of Sand Hollow and Quail Creek. Both use pipes to fill, transfer and transport culinary water.
National Park ServiceThe prolific zebra mussel attaches to a variety of surfaces. The mussels first attach to the rim of a pipe, then slowly build up until the opening is completely closed off.
The mussels can also form large colonies on the bottom of boats, around outdrives and props, and attach to anchors and anchor ropes.
Another concern, said Gustaveson, is what results the mussels will have on the fisheries.
Each mussel filters water to extract nutrients and plankton for food.
"They get first crack at the food source," he noted. "They take what they want, and what they don't want they coat with a goo and spit out. This also creates a dead zone where a tremendous amount of oxygen is taken out of the water.
"So what you have for the fish is no food and an oxygen problem. An open-water fish like the striper might be taken out. The jury is still out on those fish along the shoreline, like the large and smallmouth bass."
At one point, the Great Lakes has a thriving salmon fishery. Since the introduction of the mussel, the salmon fishing has been lost.
Keeping zebra mussels out of Lake Powell and other Utah waters will require the full cooperation of boat owners.
"It may be an little inconvenient now," offered Gustaveson, "but if they get into the lake, they could become a real problem and a real big inconvenience."
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...205114,00.html
Has anyone else had any experience (positive or negative) with these mussels?
In case the link doesn't work, here is the text of the article:
A zebra mussel is no larger than the tip of a man's finger. It's hard to imagine anything so small could be a threat to something as large as Lake Powell — but it is.
National Park ServiceThe tiny zebra mussel is no larger than the tip of a person's finger. A single mussel can produce a million young a year. A single mussel can produce upward of a million young a year. A year later, that one zebra mussel could be responsible for a trillion descendents.
At this point, authorities believe there are no zebra mussels in Lake Powell, but the threat of an invasion by the tiny crustaceans heightened in January when they were found downstream in Lake Mead.
The discovery also threatens other Utah waters, mainly Quail Creek and Sand Hollow reservoirs near St. George.
Steps are being taken to try to prevent the transfer of the mussels. Consensus is, however, that someday the transfer will happen.
Boat owners headed for any of the three waters — Lake Powell, Quail Creek and Sand Hollow — are being asked a series of questions at check-in fee stations.
If a boat has been used on any water along the Colorado River corridor downstream from Lake Powell, or on waters in the Mississippi drainage or the Great Lakes within 30 days, the boat will be checked and the owners asked to comply with a cleaning procedure. They can:
• Wash down the boat and allow it to sit for five days prior to a scheduled arrival.
• Take the boat to a nearby cleaning station where it can be washed down with scalding-hot water.
Cleaning stations have been set up at Wahweap, Bullfrog and Halls Crossing marinas on Lake Powell, and plans are in the works to set up stations near Quail Creek and Sand Hollow.
Since the discovery in January, officials have now found the mussels in a number of waters below Mead, including Havasu, Mohave and inlet pipes to both California and Arizona.
National Park Service At first it was believed the tiny crustacean found in Mead were the common zebra mussels. It was later discovered they were a subspecies of the zebra, called quagga mussels.
The mussels originally came from Europe with large oceangoing vessels headed for the Great Lakes region. They were first detected in the Great Lakes 18 years ago. The quagga were discovered within the past 10 years. The quagga are more of a threat because they can live at greater depths, can attach to a wider range of substrate and are more prolific. The quagga is often described as a zebra on steroids.
It is believed that a boat moored somewhere in one of the Great Lakes was brought to Mead with quagga mussels attached.
Once in a water, a quagga can produce upward of 30,000 eggs with each spawn and can spawn several times a year.
Once hatched, they form large colonies. As many as 70,000 have been found to occupy an area that measures one square meter.
Unlike the zebra mussels that must attach to hard surfaces, the quagga can attach to a wide range of structures. On a fluctuating lake, like Powell, they can form layers up to 18 inches thick below the surface along shorelines. When the water recedes, these barriers are uncovered. When the mussels die, they break apart and create a surface of sharp, cutting shells over a sandy shore. Also, as the uncovered mussels die, they create an awful smell.
A more immediate threat is the mussels are quick to attach to a hard surface and can therefore clog pipes.
"You can put a bucket in the water at night and the next morning you'll find they've already started to colonize," said Wayne Gustaveson, project biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources at Lake Powell.
Since they do clog pipes, they are a particular concern to managers of Sand Hollow and Quail Creek. Both use pipes to fill, transfer and transport culinary water.
National Park ServiceThe prolific zebra mussel attaches to a variety of surfaces. The mussels first attach to the rim of a pipe, then slowly build up until the opening is completely closed off.
The mussels can also form large colonies on the bottom of boats, around outdrives and props, and attach to anchors and anchor ropes.
Another concern, said Gustaveson, is what results the mussels will have on the fisheries.
Each mussel filters water to extract nutrients and plankton for food.
"They get first crack at the food source," he noted. "They take what they want, and what they don't want they coat with a goo and spit out. This also creates a dead zone where a tremendous amount of oxygen is taken out of the water.
"So what you have for the fish is no food and an oxygen problem. An open-water fish like the striper might be taken out. The jury is still out on those fish along the shoreline, like the large and smallmouth bass."
At one point, the Great Lakes has a thriving salmon fishery. Since the introduction of the mussel, the salmon fishing has been lost.
Keeping zebra mussels out of Lake Powell and other Utah waters will require the full cooperation of boat owners.
"It may be an little inconvenient now," offered Gustaveson, "but if they get into the lake, they could become a real problem and a real big inconvenience."
Looks like I will just have to pull the boat about 6 pm on Sunday and get home late 
...... but I'm soooooooo happy that I go to Laughlin and miss the AG check points.
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