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I think they will find the fish will get nourishment from these snails. But this is just based on the fact that New Zealand has some good trout water.
John
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Damn, first the grasshoppers....now the snails. IS THERE NO END TO IT?
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I think the snails are supposed to be harmfull to some native aquatic plants or something like that. I remember reading about it, goto look it up again.
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I actually purchased some of these snails for my aquarium 3 or 4 years ago. I originally purchased a dozen, and within a year was looking for something to control the 1,000's I had. They do not lay eggs, they give live birth. They are burrowers, thus the name "mud snails", and they are nocturnal. They are awesome for eating detris in a tank, so they should help remove rotting vegetation in the rivers they inhabit. This should in turn help the oxygen levels, which would benefit the Trout. I originally bought them for my tank because I have a Live Plant aquarium, and the plant dealer had them advertised as "Safe for planted tanks". They were...I never saw them eating any of my plants, nor did I see any evidence thereof. When they overpopulated my aquariums they had a die off. They all (thousands) died in my 50 gallon tank but a few survived in my 20.
I'm glad that the DFG has monitored their presence. However, I sure hope they are not spending millions on studying these snails. That money can be better spent elsewhere. They have already stated that they have no way to control them. Perhaps they will be good for our ecosystem, perhaps not. But it won't cost a dime to let mother nature control their population.
The tree huggers and others like them are always looking for a "cause" to fight for. If they want to do some good here in Utah, lets invite them to spend their billions of dollars and their time, eliminating the carp in Utah Lake and other valuable fisheries. If they want to offer a bounty for their removal, and make it worth our while, I'd be happy to remove a few myself :^) Any other takers?
Slayerace
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The snails you bought at the pet store for your aquarium were not New Zealand mud snails.
The issue is that they overtake the niches held by the aquatic invertebrates that trout live on and displace them.
This is the first wave of exotics invading Utah. Just wait for the zebra mussel to get here.
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I am so not looking forward to that! They were brought into the Sacramento river in the balast of a cargo ship. Even the cats have a tough time competing.
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][#ff0000][size 2]Perhaps this subject has been discussed before, if so it bears repeating.[/size][/#ff0000] 
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