On October 17, 2024, California Department of Water Resources (DWR) staff reportedfinding mussels attached to a float in the Port of Stockton to the California Departmentof Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). No mussels had been observed on the float in the priormonths’ inspection.
Samples of the unknown mussels were immediately sent to the UCDavis Genomic Variation Laboratory and the California Department of Food andAgriculture’s (CDFA) laboratory for identification.On October 23 and 24 UC Davis and CDFA independently returned genetic analysisresults consistent with golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei), a species not known to bepresent in North America.
On October 25, 2024, State Parks staff reported mussels onan artificial substrate deployed for monitoring for the presence of quagga/zebra musselsin O’Neill Forebay. Specimens collected from O’Neill Forebay are currently in route forgenetic analysis by UC Davis and CDFA labs.Golden mussels are similar in appearance, biology, and impacts to quagga and zebramussel, and pose a significant threat to water conveyance systems, infrastructure, andwater quality.
Existing literature on golden mussels indicates they can establish inwaters with lower total calcium in the water than quagga and zebra mussels.
Goldenmussels were likely introduced to California by a ship traveling from an internationalport.Golden mussels are native to rivers and creeks of China and Southeast Asia. They areknown to be established outside of their native range in Hong Kong, Japan, Tawain,Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.
Within the invaded range significant impactsare documented resulting from the dense colonization of golden mussels on hardsurfaces. Heavy encrustations have blocked municipal and industrial water intakes,necessitated ongoing biofouling removal, altered species assemblages, and diminishedwater quality.Over the coming weeks and months CDFW will work to disseminate additional detectionand response information as it becomes available. In the interim, CDFW requests yourimmediate assistance in reaching all water managers throughout California to informthem of this discovery.
For additional information please visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/.../invasive-non-native-golden...
Advertising