Lake Powell Mussels Confirmed

[nebocreek]

FYI - The ranger at Utah Lake told me yesterday that they are announcing confirmation of coagga mussels in Lake Powell. Guess it was just a matter of time.
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[FishinDoll]

That is such heartbreaking news to hear. Like you said, I guess it was only a matter of time. [:/]
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[fishjon]

How do the mussles effect the fishing. I've seen pictures of the encased props, but I'm wondering what it will do to the fishery.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

check in with the DWR site. there's a plethora of educational material. take the mussel certification exam.


It's not just latching onto props, and various irrigation mesh, nets, etc. There's the whole aspect of competing for plankton that impacts a fishery. But - again - water works are for irrigation. Recreation, and angling adventures are just a bonus, but not the driving reason for many/most of our waterways.


It's debatable which is worse, carp of quaggas. But in any case, this is news indeed. And goes WAY beyond the inconvenience for those boater who hit that water, and then move to others. Wonder why they don't install a mandatory steam cleanse on the way out. The police the "entry" into waters so, why not the exit?

[PBH]

[quote fishjon]How do the mussles effect the fishing. I've seen pictures of the encased props, but I'm wondering what it will do to the fishery.[/quote]

Have you ever wondered why the waters of Lake Meade are so clear??


mussels are "filter" feeders. They suck in the water, filter it of any available nutrients, and discharge the filtered water back to the lake. They are a VERY efficient critter.

This has tremendous affects to fisheries. Young of the year fish rely on those same nutrients in the water to survive until they grow large enough to feed on other sources (ie: other fish). Mussels can remove those nutrients leaving nothing behind for the young fish. Thus, young fish die. Without those young fish, we slowly lose the population. Yes, that might be a bit extreme -- but the fact is that mussels have the potential to severely affect fisheries in a negative way.


on top of that, they cost tax payers millions and millions of dollars each year in maintenance.
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