Article in current DiveTraining

[psiborg1812]

This and the North American Snakehead remind me of the new NCIS episode; where Abby creates a DNA weapon. A weapon that can destroy certain people, animials, or any organisms with a specific DNA code. Someone needs to create this for the Zebra Mussle and North America Snakehead.

I am concerned about coming across a Snakehead than these mussels.

Ugh, Snakeheads are freaky critters! If i came across one of those underwater, i'd be using the "rear dump" on my wetsuit!

Does this mean we need to nix the diving @ Texoma?

 

[SailNaked]

How can we get some of them for lake Travis or lake 288 in Houston? can you buy them? maybe like a few hundred small ones just to start?

 

[cbrich]

How can we get some of them for lake Travis or lake 288 in Houston? can you buy them? maybe like a few hundred small ones just to start?

I will sell you some for $10 per mussel. So you will need somewhere on the lines of 100 million mussels to clean up Travis, so you can just get a bank check for $1 billion.

 

[scubafanatic]

...maybe we should set up a death-match.....mussels versus lionfish!

 

[Web Monkey]

"INVASIVE ZEBRA
MUSSELS NOW
REACH INTO TEXAS
Zebra mussels, the invasive water critter feared for clogging intake valves, cutting unprotected feet and devouring nutrients fish need to survive, has been confirmed for the first time in Texas.
Tests recently revealed that the freshwater species Dreissena polymorpha, native to Eastern Europe, is now in Lake Texoma, a 93,000-acre (37,200-hectare) lake straddling the Texas-Oklahoma border.
Divers often use Lake Texoma although there is not a designated diving area, said Bruce Hysmith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department inland fisheries biologist for Lake Texoma.
Zebra mussels originated in the Balkans, Poland and the former Soviet Union, and were first introduced in North America in 1988 in Lake St. Clair, a small water body connecting lakes Huron and Erie.
Their ability to survive in a variety of environments has surprised some.
"When they were first discovered in the '80s, we were told they couldn't survive in water above 60 degrees [Fahrenheit], so we didn't worry about them [in Texas]. I guess they were wrong," Hysmith said.
Divers can help slow the spread of zebra mussels from one water body to another
Little SOB's!!!!

I like them a lot! They've cleaned up the St. Lawrence so beautifully that for a while, we could easily get 40'60', which was about 40' more than it had been in decades past.

They do disturb the ecosystem, but after a while it re-balances itself. The fish with strong jaws discover that ZM's are tasty and plentiful, the water gets cleaner and life is good. It's bad for some game fish and good for others.

OTOH, they seem to be on a down-cycle lately and the water has been gettitng worse again.

Terry

 

[texdiveguy]

OTOH, they seem to be on a down-cycle lately and the water has been gettitng worse again.

Terry

???? by what way is this determined-----zebra count--water analysis--diver opinion. Thanks for your insight.

 

[Web Monkey]

???? by what way is this determined-----zebra count--water analysis--diver opinion. Thanks for your insight.

When you wave your hand across live mussels, they close up. The dead mussels just sit there covered in silt and don't do anything. Initially, all the mussels on the surface of objects were alive, but now lots aren't. Also, the viz has been getting a little worse over the past few years.

Terry

 

[texdiveguy]

When you wave your hand across live mussels, they close up. The dead mussels just sit there covered in silt and don't do anything. Initially, all the mussels on the surface of objects were alive, but now lots aren't. Also, the viz has been getting a little worse over the past few years.

Terry

I understand the actions of live and dead mussels, but I only think it is the opion of the diver as to the actual vis of the water column on any given day. Terry you are correct there does seam to be 'areas' of The Lakes that show 'slight' improvements---but why? Maybe as simple a factor as time and evolution.......nature.........
Many other factors play in the vis on any given day as we all understand as divers. Take a group of divers to the same area and you will get varing opions on vis and clearity of the water in question regardless of the mussel count.
Do I or we have the answer--no, is it going to continue to be an issue in The Lakes and now other areas of the country showing growing signs of these mussels-yes.
The partcial solution is IMO, strict enforcement of laws, and more education/reasearch and common sense of those involved particularly in boating.
I still will take lower vis anyday over zebra mussels.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

I really don't know much about the ecology of the great lakes, but I do understand Texas freshwater.

Most of the forage fish in Texas and the south are shad. Namely threadfin shad. The mussles would be direct competition for their food sources. As the shapd populations would decline this would harm a HUGE tourist industry in Texas, sport fishing. Texoma is known all across the country as a great striper lake.

I don't think we need to stop diving Texoma, but we do need to be aware of the ecological issues these things can cause and how we can prevent their spread. Divers really aren't the issue though, boaters are.

As the article states, most of the Texas lakes are used for drinking water or irrigation. Clogging intake pipes (they like moving water) will make maintenance costs and thus water costs go up.

I saw the original article and watched closely with concern when it was suspected that Lake Lavon (a major drinking water lake for my area) was contaminated.

TwoBit

 

[Teknadv3x]

The only thing they seem to do that may seem worthy of mentioning is that they filter the water.
They reproduce so fast it is thought that they have increased the Vis. of the Great Lakes from what I hear and read with all the filter feeding they do.
I'm not so sure I completely believe all that but it may be true. Even still the little SOB's need to be snuffed out and we should do what we can to do or at least send them packing without the rights of citizens or even a jury trial.

That said I think they charged the gates and swam the river and generally just
"Musceled" they're way in to play our game.

Not much we can do about it

Timeliner you are the champion WORDSMITH.
If you ever quit doing what you do for a livng you would be a great writer on SNL.

God bless you and your family and hope you have the greatest Holidays ever.
Also thanks for always bringing joy & laughter into my life with your writing.
Dave