how are zebra mussels being controlled in the great lakes?
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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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The mussels increased water clarity, but unleashed ecological havoc. ... As they filter water through their bodies, zebra and quagga mussels consume plankton, tiny organisms that are the foundation of the Great Lakes food chain. That increases water clarity, which allows sunlight to penetrate deeper in the lake.
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['Zebra mussels can render beaches unusable, clog water filtration pipes, and destroy boat engines such as in example pictured above.', 'Although small, zebra mussels cause big trouble. These mussels can quickly encrust things, such as this crayfish above.']
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Zebra mussels first entered North America in about 1986, when foreign ships apparently dumped the larvae with ballast water into Lake St. Clair; Within six years, zebra mussels had spread to all the Great Lakes and had entered eight large river systems.
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Zebra mussels are highly adaptable and can survive in a variety of water temperatures and conditions. ... Zebra mussels negatively impact habitats by filtering water, which removes plankton from the water. Plankton is the foundation of many food chains, including those of native fish and wildlife.
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The zebra mussel escaped from its homeland in the Black and Caspian seas in the 1700s and emigrated to western Europe. From there, it hitched a ride in the ballast tanks of ships across the Atlantic and through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes.
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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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Boatlifts prevent the attachment of zebra mussels by lifting the boat out of the water when it is not being used. This helps reduce the need to scrape mussels off of the boat at the end of the season and allows the boat to be inspected, washed, or completely dried between uses. Use your boat.
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The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is believed to have arrived in North America as a freshwater ballast stowaway in commercial vessels from Europe sometime around 1986. The mussel was first discovered in the Great Lakes in Lake St. Clair in June 1988.
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Distribution: Zebra mussels are native to the Caspian Sea region of Asia and are believed to have been introduced into the Great Lakes from ballast water of transatlantic ships. They were first discovered in Lake St. ... Zebra mussels were first documented in Iowa in 1992 from the Mississippi River near Burlington.
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The impacts of Zebra Mussels include: Filter water to the point where food sources such as plankton are removed and alter the food web for other species. ... 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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Researchers estimate that zebra mussels filter a large percentage of the water in Lake Erie every week. As they filter the water, they remove toxic chemicals and pollutants like PCBs. PCBs accumulate in the fatty tissues of organisms.
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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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In spite of their small size (often no bigger than a penny) zebra mussels cause far-reaching damage to water structures and native ecosystems. ... They also negatively impact aquatic ecosystems by harming native organisms. In huge numbers, they out-compete other filter feeders, starving them.
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Zebra Mussels are believed to have hitch-hiked from Europe to North America in ballast water from transoceanic ships. They were first observed in Ontario in 1988 and have spread throughout the Great Lakes, Lake St.
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Zebra mussels aren't front page news anymore. Asian carp and toxic algae blooms now claim those pages. But, even if they are out of sight and out of mind — they're still doing their damage on the bottom of the lake, just like they have since their invasion.
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They can impact fish and other wildlife by increasing algal blooms and large colonies affect fish spawning areas. ... 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.