Invasive Species - Freshwater Asian marble-size quagga and zebra mussels have invaded Colorado reservoirs

Invasive Species are coming to the United States and one has invaded Colorado. We read the stories on the Internet, newspapers, and over the radio about how invasive species enter the U.S. water somehow and start invading marine and plant life.

Freshwater Asian marble-size quagga and zebra mussels have invaded Colorado reservoirs. Quagga mussels are being investigated by the Bureau of Reclamation's laboratory in Lakewood Colorado for possible ways to prevent mussels from spreading to other waterways in Colorado or possibly other states.

The invasive freshwater quagga and zebra mussels are marble-size marine creatures that have mistakenly hitchhiked from central Asia to Colorado waters by using their microscopic, sticky hairs to attach onto hard surfaces such as shipping boats that are traveling through various waterways. If female mussels are hitchhiking they can lay as many as five million eggs in their lifetime, with as many as one hundred thousand of these surviving to reproduce this type of invasion is not healthy for the local ecosystem or for water technology. Mussels have the ability to invade other aquatic life and cause damage to freshwater ecosystems, clog water-intake and discharge pipes and intake gates in the structure of the reservoirs, power plants, and industries pumps. Mussels may also degrade drinking water and negatively impact commercial and recreational activities through preying on marine life (Finley 2012; Brown 2012).

Mussels were first discovered in the Great Lakes as ships were inspected after moving across international waters. The mussels spread swiftly across parts of the United States, from North Dakota to California during the 1990s. Warmer temperatures provided perfect yearly breeding. Mussels were soon discovered in several Colorado reservoirs of Tarryall, Pueblo, Willow Creek, Shadow Mountain, Grandby, and Jumbo, and now possibly Blue Mesa (Benson 2011; CLRMA 2011).

These invasive freshwater mussels are being examined by a Denver based federal team for clues on how to stop, destroy, or discourage mussels from spreading. Treatments such as poison or molluscicides (Pseudomonas fluorescens, bacterium that eliminates mussels without harming fish), discharge of ultra-violet light and shock waves, or add sunfish to the water that can eat the mussels. Millions of dollars are at stake if the above solutions can solve the issue and protect hydropower and water delivery systems in the western states from invasive mussels (Finley 2012). However, are these tactics environmental safe for humans and other marine life? 


References:

Benson, Amy. 2011. Zebra mussel news. United States Geological Survey (USGS). U.S. Department of the Interior.http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/mollusks/zebramussel/ (accessed March 27, 2012).

Brown, Elizabeth. 2012. Zebra and quagga mussels. The Colorado Division of Wildlife. Colorado Department of Natural Resources. http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/InvasiveSpecies/Pages/ZebraandQuaggaMussels.aspx (accessed March 27, 2012). 

Colorado Lake and Reservoir Management Association (CLRMA). 2011. Colorado inspectors check over 420,000 boats for aquatic nuisance species. http://www.clrma.org/links/lakenews.shtml#inspectors (accessed March 27, 2012).

Finley, Bruce. 2012. Experts testing tactics to keep harmful mussels from muscling their way in. Denver Post (February 29). www.denverpost.com/environment/ci_15563750 (accessed March 26, 2012).