Zebra mussels discovered in Lake Mead

[sTony]

Zebra mussels discovered in Lake Mead

By Bill Hutcheson

On January 6th, 2007, the fears of many western fisheries biologists became reality when a Las Vegas Harbor marina employee discovered a lone zebra mussel attached to a breakwater mooring cable. The alert employee notified the National Park service. Wes Baldwin, a NPS Zebra mussel-monitoring program volunteer and his team discovered several colonies of established Zebra Mussels within sample traps that had previously been set. Samples were forwarded to the US Fish and Wildlife service, which confirmed on January 9th that the samples were indeed those of the Zebra mussel. This is the first time that the Zebra Mussel has established

Bill Dickinson, Lake Mead National Recreation Area Superintendent, in a quote from a National Park Service press release stated, “We are very concerned about this discovery, and its potential impacts on Lake Mead.â€

[Fishin' Dave]

Not Good, Not Good.

Follow their march North. Castic next, then Delta, and on to Clear Lake. I sure hope not!

[ripdlip]

Clean everything off your boat....everytime!

[Nlvbassin]

Just when the lake was starting to come back!!!!

I can't tell you how much this news makes me sick.

[Fishin' Dave]

Can they travel through livewells?

If so, would a flush after each trip be in order?

[Ken C.]

Can they travel through livewells?

Sure... Even one fertilized egg could make the trip in a small puddle left in a livewell. More likely they travel in the bilge area though.

Not to point fingers by any means but a good friend has a "bow rider" ski/wakeboard type boat. I remember one time riding up to New Hogan with him. His boat had not been out for several weeks, yet every time we stopped for traffic I noticed his bilge pump would start pushing a stream of water out. I'm sure his is not the only boat like that to have this occur. Add to that the on-board ballast tanks and auxillary water bags these boats have on board in order to push a bigger wake and you are looking at a complete distribution system for these mollusks.

[bassrman]

I am aware the impact zebra mussels would have on the Colorado river water system,as far as dams,water pumping systems etc. it could be a huge mess!,but! I am curious? how would it impact the fisheries?,lets say on Lake mead alone?any biologist types out there ?.....

[Fishin' Dave]

You'll be fishing Braid in clear water. Scary huh?

[Ken C.]

Not 100% sure, but they since they are molluscs they are filter-feeders which will consume mass quantities of phytoplankton, which of course is one of the roots of the aquatic food chain. If they become established and develop large colonies it could adversely affect the newly hatched fish as well as upper regions of the aquatic food chain. Kind of what is suspected of happening in the SF Bay with the chinese clams that have started to establish themselves.

[TopH2o]

I ve been fishin Mead 20 years and find that this report extremely hard too believe. The Nevada Wildlife Department has been wrong so many times in the past they cant manage a inner city stock pond let alone Mead. Fallin water levels , desert climate ,no connection to the Mississippi or innercostal seaway impossible. Just like in the 70s when they believed that strippers couldnt reproduce. Or the planting of phosphates in the late 70s. Theres alot of other things goin on, on the Colorado that the feds are trying too put to a stop to. Just look what they did at Overton a few weeks ago. Considering where this info came from Bull.

[Andrew Jackson]

What did they do at Overton?

[vinnybass]

They're closing it down. A couple of weeks ago I saw on the news they gave everyone 30 days to get out. The marina and the trailer park. I don't know if there is any reprieve or delay to the timing but if not they should be working on moving that stuff out of there right now.

[B Becker]

h2o....you are absolutely correct!!! I don't have much faith in our fishery and the way they manage it....I was always told that Lake Mead is a "recreational" lake...which means, who cares about the fish!!

oh, and I'm glad about them being wrong about the "strippers", because if they didn't reproduce, how much fun would Vegas be??? ....sorry I couldn't resist!!! but yes, the "stripers" are reproducing at an enormous rate!!! I hate that fish!!!

[ash]

The sad part is this is an official realease which will give them the right to close down the areas they proposed (and we shot down) a few years ago. Once an area is closed to fishing and boating I think it will be tough to appeal it to be re-opned Zebra Mussel or not.

If its true then it is going to reak havoc on a tough fishery as it stand all the way down to Martinez and Beyond including up to the Mid SoCal lakes, water distribution and possible to NorCal.

I take simple green and spray it in my livewells and bilge when I get home. The night before my trip out I hose add water to let it slosh around and drain before I hit the lake. It is a tough practice and I wish i could say I do it every time, I definatly do it every time I go to the delta and Clear lake though!

Bad news for Boaters and Fishermen.

[mark poulson]

If the eggs are microscopic, and just need to stay damp to survive, wouldn't they just hitch a ride in the wet bunk board carpet when the boat is trailered from one site to another?

[TopH2o]

Zebra mussels feed on plankton including algae,bacteria,larval animals and other organic matter. They are FRESHWATER animals can not survive in saltwater.Mature females produce 30,000 eggs each year.Zebra eggs are microsopic plankton larva this is the stage when they can move from one system to another.In 2 to 3 weeks after this stage they MUST settle on a hard surface in order to survive. They can not survive on the side of a trailer for more than 1 day even in a larva stage in a live the most is 2 days in a controlled enviroment.

Virgina Institute of Marine Science
Dept. of Bio. Science Great Lakes US Dept. Ann Arbor

Read these in-depth fifteen page reports from 5 scientists on the Great Lakes if you want to learn more. The effects of zebra mussels on the Great Lakes has created a vast improvement in bass fishing period for severa other reasons associated with the zebra mussel. But the jury is still out on the long-term effect. So, zebra mussels in Lake Mead? Not unless someone put them there.
Your man- Top

[CORAL 96]

git rid of all those "STINKIN" carp in the lake??? I guess that's what a crossbow's good fer!!!

[NaCl]

*NM*