RANCHING Wildlife
Zebra Mussels Found in Lake Belton
Suspected in Lake Worth and Joe Pool Lake Z
EBRA MUSSELS, A DESTRUCTIVE INVASIVE SPECIES THAT ORIGINATED IN EURASIA, have been found in Lake Belton in central Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Executive Di-
rector Carter Smith signed an order adopting an emergency rule to add lakes Belton and Stillhouse Hollow as well as portions of the Leon and Lampasas rivers to the list of water bodies covered by special regulations intended to control the spread of zebra mussels. Under these special regu- lations, boaters who drain their boats and gear will not be considered in violation of rules prohibiting possession of zebra mussels. “The Lake Belton discovery underscores how critical it is for boaters all
across Texas to get informed and involved to help stop the spread of zebra mussels,” said Brian Van Zee, TPWD inland fi sheries regional director based in Waco. “Unfortunately, zebra mussel larvae, called veligers, are not visible to the naked eye. You could be transporting them on your boat and not even know it. This is why it’s particularly important to always clean, drain, and dry your boat and gear before heading to another water body.” A Texas Mussel Watch volunteer was looking for native mussels along
the shores of Lake Belton on Sept. 18 when she found a giant fl oater that had a small mussel attached to its shell. Suspecting that it might be a zebra mussel she reported it to the TPWD. The following day, TPWD confi rmed that the small mussel was a zebra mussel. A followup survey conducted by TPWD after the discovery revealed that
zebra mussels are well established in Lake Belton and are found throughout the lake. Three size classes of zebra mussels were found in Lake Belton, indicating they were likely introduced to the reservoir sometime in 2012. “This is very discouraging news for a several reasons,” said Van Zee.
“Not only does this mark the fi rst time that zebra mussels have been documented in the Brazos River basin, this new infestation is nearly 200
50 The Cattleman December 2013
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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