Our friends at the New Brunswick Invasive Species Council have put out an alert that zebra mussels have been discovered for the first time in New Brunswick.
They are reporting that adult mussels have been found in the Madawaska River attached to a hydro-electric dam in Edmundston. This discovery marks the first occurrence of this aquatic invasive species in the province.
Zebra mussels can have a dramatic, negative impact on aquatic environments and disrupt natural food webs. Zebra mussels can also affect humans by causing millions of dollars in damage by clogging water pipes to businesses and power plants, damaging boats, docks, buoys, and other structures. A single female zebra mussel can produce over 1 million eggs each year, which can travel and spread via water currents or as hitchhikers on watercrafts.
We encourage the public to always Clean, Drain, Dry any equipment that is in one body of water before moving it into a new body of water to help prevent the spread! If you think you have found zebra mussels, please collect a specimen and contact HRAA or the New Brunswick Invasive Species Council ASAP. Hammond River Angling Association
About Zebra Mussels
Freshwater mussels of the zebra variety, or Dreissena polymorpha, are tiny. The species is native to the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but it has spread unintentionally to many other locations and is now an invasive species in many nations across the world. The species has been present in the Great Lakes, Hudson River, Finger Lakes, Lake Travis, Lake Bonaparte, and Lake Simcoe since the 1980s. Dreissenid mussels are among the most invasive aquatic species in the world due to their detrimental effects on freshwater systems.
By monotypic colonization, they destroy canals and harbours, boats and ships, water treatment facilities, and power plants, upsetting ecosystems. Since the microscopic, free-swimming larvae enter the facilities immediately through the water intakes, water-treatment plants are the most affected. Additionally, zebra mussels attach to and obstruct pipelines submerged in water.
In 1988, they were discovered for the first time in Canada in Lake St. Clair, one of the Great Lakes. It is believed that the ballast water of oceangoing ships that were travelling the St. Lawrence Seaway unintentionally introduced them into the lakes. An further potential, but unverified, method of introduction involves anchors and chains. Chain lockers offer a temporary haven for adult zebra mussels that may be released when transoceanic ships anchor at freshwater ports, as these mussels can withstand being out of water for several days or weeks in low temperatures and high humidity. Zebra Mussels can only survive in fresh water.
Article Credit: Hammond River Angling Association via Facebook
