Zebra mussels continue to spread to area lakes

TULSA, Okla. – Early this month, zebra mussels were found in Sooner Lake in Oklahoma. 

Everett Laney, biologist for the Corps of Engineers, says the invasive species has also been found in lakes managed by the Tulsa District.  “Unfortunately, they appear to like our lakes real well.  There’s a lot for them to feed on, and the warmer waters allow for longer growing and reproducing seasons.”  That’s bad news for lake users as this “cockroach of the aquatic world” continues its invasion. 

Laney says the climate in this part of the country is agreeable for the invasive species of clam.  The mussels were first found in Oklahoma in 1993 in the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System.  Soon, they had spread to Oologah Lake in Oklahoma and El Dorado Lake in Kansas.  By 2004, larvae had drifted down the Arkansas River from Kansas to Kaw Lake, where adults were confirmed in May 2005.  Larvae continued downstream to Keystone Lake; adults were found there in October 2005. 

Although the population in the navigation system remains relatively low, numbers continue to increase in the lakes.  Dr. Joe Bidwell from Oklahoma State University has been monitoring the population in Oologah and El Dorado lakes.  He says, “Zebra mussels are increasing in numbers and size, and are more prolific than historically recorded.”

The mussels have spread throughout large portions of the American waterway system since they were brought to the Great Lakes by trans-Atlantic ships in 1986.  Their reproductive rate and their ability to attach to underwater structures have caused great economic impacts to federal, state, municipal, industrial and recreational water users.

Even small populations can clog small waterlines and boat cooling systems.  They attach to boat hulls, docks, and anything else in the water.  Another serious concern to fishermen, according to state fisheries biologist, Jeff Boxrucker, is, “They feed on the important micro-organisms that fish rely on.  It is unknown at this point how this may impact the state fishery.”

Zebra Mussels are most often found in water 3 to 45 feet deep.  Most are thumbnail size, but can grow to 2 inches.  They have an elongated, "D"-shaped, somewhat pointed, thin shell with a zebra-like pattern of stripes.  They are the only fresh water mussel that attach to solid objects.

It’s unknown how serious the problem in this area will become, but water users need to learn how to deal with them. The Oklahoma Zebra Mussel Task Force is asking boaters, personal watercraft users, and fishermen to take a few precautions when recreating in an infested lake or river.  The microscopic larvae can be unknowingly transported in bilges, engine cooling systems, minnow buckets, live wells, and anywhere water is trapped.  As prevention, boats and personal watercraft should not be left in the water for extended periods of time.  With regular use, engine heat will keep mussels from colonizing inside most engine parts.

Boxrucker says some simple precautions can help slow the spread of the zebra mussel to other lakes and protect watercraft. 

ü      When you pull your boat out of the water, drain your bilge water, live wells, and bait buckets.  Don’t dump your unused bait into the water.

ü      Inspect the boat and trailer.  Young zebra mussels may feel like grit on the surface.  Scrape off any zebra mussels, but do not return them to the water.

ü      If practical, store the boat and trailer out of the water for at least a week before entering another waterway.

ü      If you are putting the boat back into another body of water within a week, wash boat parts and accessories with a high-pressure sprayer.  Be sure to spray the bilge, live well, pumping system, and bait buckets.  Hot water, 140 degrees Fahrenheit, will kill them immediately.

ü      Or, you can use a 10 percent solution of household chlorine bleach and water, or a hot saltwater solution to thoroughly wash the boat.  Do not wash your boat at the boat ramps where these solutions could run back into the lake.

If you find zebra mussels in a lake other than El Dorado, Oologah, Kaw, Keystone, Sooner, or the R.S.Kerr Navigation System, please contact the Corps of Engineers or the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

To learn more about invasive species, log on to protectyourwaters.net or 100thmeridian.org.

--30--