05-16-2006, 12:19 PM
[font "Times New Roman"][black][size 5]New Zealand mudsnails found in Duluth-Superior harbor (2006-05-01)[/size][/black][/font]
New Zealand mudsnails have been discovered in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, the first time they have been found in Minnesota or Wisconsin waters.
This has officials from state and federal natural resources agencies concerned about the invasive snail's potential impacts. The tiny foreign snail, discovered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), could invade both states' rivers and other waters where it could cause problems. Its potential spread by anglers and others is also a concern.
More than 100 mudsnails were collected last fall by a research team from the EPA's Mid-Continent Ecology Division in Duluth. The team was conducting a survey as part of a project to look for new invaders in Great Lakes harbors. A research scientist who was part of the team identified the New Zealand mudsnail among the samples. Following confirmation of the mudsnail's identity, the EPA disclosed preliminary results of the survey earlier this month.
"I kind of expected to find them," said Igor Grigorovich of Wilson Environmental Laboratories, Inc., the scientist who was also first to find the species in Lake Superior near Thunder Bay, Ont., in 2001. "The St. Louis River Estuary is a more suitable habitat for this snail species than Lake Superior because it's not as cold."
Grigorovich and the team discovered the snails while analyzing bottom sediment samples. Grigorovich said the New Zealand mudsnail varies in appearance and the snails he found in the harbor look different than the ones he found in Thunder Bay. "They possess a thicker and more opaque shell," Grigorovich said. "The Thunder Bay snails are semi-transparent, probably as a result of low calcium content in Lake Superior water."
New Zealand mudsnails cause concern because their sheer numbers can disrupt the ecosystem.
"They have adapted so well in Western rivers that they have pushed out almost all of the native insects, snails, and other invertebrates that are important food for fish," said Doug Jensen, aquatic invasive species program coordinator for Minnesota Sea Grant. "More than 700,000 snails per square meter cover the bottoms of some rivers. That's like having 585,000 snails in your bathtub!"
Another concern is that they can spread easily on aquatic plants, waders, and other gear used in infested waters. They are able to close their shells, allowing them to survive out of water for days. Also, they easily start new infestations because they can reproduce without mating, essentially cloning themselves.
One snail and its offspring can form hundreds of thousands of clones per year. Native fish and wildfowl eat them, but because they are so prolific, nothing seems to control infestations in North America.
New Zealand mudsnails are tiny mollusks (about the size of a peppercorn) native to New Zealand. Their spiral-shaped shells are usually dark gray or dark to light brown with a right-handed coiling pattern and 5-6 whorls. Some native snails look similar to the mudsnail, which makes identification difficult.
They were first found in the U.S. in 1987 in Idaho's Snake River. It is believed they were accidentally introduced with stocked imported rainbow trout. The snails have impacted Rocky Mountain trout streams, apparently spread by anglers. Researchers suspect they arrived in the Great Lakes via ship ballast water.
Anglers and others who may use gear in infested waters are encouraged to:
- inspect and remove visible aquatic plants, animals, and mud from waders, hip boots, and field gear before transporting;
- rinse waders, hip boots, and gear with hot water (120 degrees F or 45 degrees C); and
- dry gear for five days before reuse.
People who suspect they've found a New Zealand mudsnail should preserve the specimen in rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and report the sighting. In Minnesota, call either Minnesota Sea Grant, (218) 726-8712 or the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Invasive Species Program in St. Paul, (651) 259-5100 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367). In Wisconsin, report sightings to either the Wisconsin DNR, (608) 266-9270 or Wisconsin Sea Grant, (920) 683-4697.
New Zealand mudsnail identification cards will be available this summer from Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs and DNRs.
The DNRs in both Wisconsin and Minnesota are working to designate the New Zealand mudsnail as a prohibited invasive species. The designation means it will be illegal to import, transport, possess, and place mudsnails into other waters in the state, as it is with other prohibited species such as zebra mussels. An exception is if a person is bringing the mudsnail to the DNR for identification or reporting purposes.
The Minnesota DNR is also working to designate Lake Superior and the St. Louis River below the Fond du Lac dam as mudsnail-infested waters.
For images and additional information on the New Zealand mudsnail, [url "http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/nz_mudsnail/index.html"]click here[/url].
[black][font "Arial"](Quoted directly from the Minnesota DNR News Release Website)[/font][/black]
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New Zealand mudsnails have been discovered in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, the first time they have been found in Minnesota or Wisconsin waters.
This has officials from state and federal natural resources agencies concerned about the invasive snail's potential impacts. The tiny foreign snail, discovered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), could invade both states' rivers and other waters where it could cause problems. Its potential spread by anglers and others is also a concern.
More than 100 mudsnails were collected last fall by a research team from the EPA's Mid-Continent Ecology Division in Duluth. The team was conducting a survey as part of a project to look for new invaders in Great Lakes harbors. A research scientist who was part of the team identified the New Zealand mudsnail among the samples. Following confirmation of the mudsnail's identity, the EPA disclosed preliminary results of the survey earlier this month.
"I kind of expected to find them," said Igor Grigorovich of Wilson Environmental Laboratories, Inc., the scientist who was also first to find the species in Lake Superior near Thunder Bay, Ont., in 2001. "The St. Louis River Estuary is a more suitable habitat for this snail species than Lake Superior because it's not as cold."
Grigorovich and the team discovered the snails while analyzing bottom sediment samples. Grigorovich said the New Zealand mudsnail varies in appearance and the snails he found in the harbor look different than the ones he found in Thunder Bay. "They possess a thicker and more opaque shell," Grigorovich said. "The Thunder Bay snails are semi-transparent, probably as a result of low calcium content in Lake Superior water."
New Zealand mudsnails cause concern because their sheer numbers can disrupt the ecosystem.
"They have adapted so well in Western rivers that they have pushed out almost all of the native insects, snails, and other invertebrates that are important food for fish," said Doug Jensen, aquatic invasive species program coordinator for Minnesota Sea Grant. "More than 700,000 snails per square meter cover the bottoms of some rivers. That's like having 585,000 snails in your bathtub!"
Another concern is that they can spread easily on aquatic plants, waders, and other gear used in infested waters. They are able to close their shells, allowing them to survive out of water for days. Also, they easily start new infestations because they can reproduce without mating, essentially cloning themselves.
One snail and its offspring can form hundreds of thousands of clones per year. Native fish and wildfowl eat them, but because they are so prolific, nothing seems to control infestations in North America.
New Zealand mudsnails are tiny mollusks (about the size of a peppercorn) native to New Zealand. Their spiral-shaped shells are usually dark gray or dark to light brown with a right-handed coiling pattern and 5-6 whorls. Some native snails look similar to the mudsnail, which makes identification difficult.
They were first found in the U.S. in 1987 in Idaho's Snake River. It is believed they were accidentally introduced with stocked imported rainbow trout. The snails have impacted Rocky Mountain trout streams, apparently spread by anglers. Researchers suspect they arrived in the Great Lakes via ship ballast water.
Anglers and others who may use gear in infested waters are encouraged to:
- inspect and remove visible aquatic plants, animals, and mud from waders, hip boots, and field gear before transporting;
- rinse waders, hip boots, and gear with hot water (120 degrees F or 45 degrees C); and
- dry gear for five days before reuse.
People who suspect they've found a New Zealand mudsnail should preserve the specimen in rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and report the sighting. In Minnesota, call either Minnesota Sea Grant, (218) 726-8712 or the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Invasive Species Program in St. Paul, (651) 259-5100 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367). In Wisconsin, report sightings to either the Wisconsin DNR, (608) 266-9270 or Wisconsin Sea Grant, (920) 683-4697.
New Zealand mudsnail identification cards will be available this summer from Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs and DNRs.
The DNRs in both Wisconsin and Minnesota are working to designate the New Zealand mudsnail as a prohibited invasive species. The designation means it will be illegal to import, transport, possess, and place mudsnails into other waters in the state, as it is with other prohibited species such as zebra mussels. An exception is if a person is bringing the mudsnail to the DNR for identification or reporting purposes.
The Minnesota DNR is also working to designate Lake Superior and the St. Louis River below the Fond du Lac dam as mudsnail-infested waters.
For images and additional information on the New Zealand mudsnail, [url "http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/nz_mudsnail/index.html"]click here[/url].
[black][font "Arial"](Quoted directly from the Minnesota DNR News Release Website)[/font][/black]
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