Zebra Mussel Larvae Found in Pomme de Terre

A non-native species that poses a threat to Missouri's sport fish population has been found in a local lake. KSMU's Michele Skalicky has more...

Zebra mussel larvae or veligers have turned up in samples taken from Pomme de Terre Lake north of Springfield. Tim Banek is invasive species coordinator with the Missouri Department of Conservation…

"Pomme de Terre wasn't a reservoir that we expected that would turn up positive for zebra mussel veligers, so I was quite surprised that they were found in those samples."

According to Banek, three different samples were taken with a plankton net, and all three turned up positive.Samples taken from Stockton and the Truman Reservoir were negative for zebra mussels. Lake of the Ozarks samples were positive.Two-thirds of water samples taken this summer remain to be checked for zebra mussel veligers including Table Rock, Lake Taneycomo and Bull Shoals.Biologists are concerned about their spread because they pose a threat to Missouri’s economy as well as its ecology…

"Zebra mussels are filter feeders. They filter and feed onthe plankton that's in the water, and that's the same thing that a lot of our aquatic animals feed on--larval fish and other things feed on the same types of things. And, some of the things that they do is they compete with our native species for the primary producers in the food chain."

Banek says zebra mussels can have a significant impact on the sport fish ...

"Certainly it would have not only an economiceffect on those locally making their living on the reservoir marinas and bait sales and things like that, but also on the state economy as a whole."

Zebra mussels are believed to have come to North America from Eurasia in the 1980s. It’s believed they arrived in the Great Lakes in the ballast tanks of oceangoing ships.According to Tim Banek, copper sulphate has been used in smaller lakes to eradicate the zebra mussel, but that method is cost prohibitive for larger lakes.He says research is ongoing to find new techniques for eradicating them.Meanwhile, boat owners need to take precautions to prevent the spread of zebra mussels. Banek says they should allow boats and other equipment to dry in the sun for at least five days before re-launching in another lake or stream.