Re: NANFA-- Zebra mussels starving native fish

NATURNUT_at_aol.com
Tue, 26 Jun 2001 19:43:15 EDT

Interesting webpage. We have talked a lot about zebra mussels in class
for as long as I can remember, and I have definately noticed more and more of
the mussels in our lakes (great lakes and inshore) every year. The MDNR (just
the Michigan DNR?) are doing a "brick program", in which lakefront property
owners sink a brick off their dock into the water. The DNR checks the block
for any zebra mussels that may have colonized on it. I forgot the exact
statistics (someday I'll post them), but dozens of new zebra mussel-infested
lakes are added to Michigans list each year. I have been "monitoring" a local
lake infested with the mussels, and have actually noticed clearer water in a
period of a couple years. I have not seen a single rock in that lake that is
not COMPLETELY covered with them.
This issue has really started to give people around here(and the country)
quite a scare, not excluding me. The mussel is way out of control, and from
what I know about the mussel (and the technology we have right now), I really
don't think we will be able to effectively control its population without
hurting the population of other organisms in the lakes.
Danny McConnell Marshall, MI

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