DON’T MOVE A MUSSEL
STORY AND PHOTOS BY LISA SCOTT
Spread the Message, NOT the Mussel
ANYONE WHO BOATS, PADDLES, FISHES OR SWIMS IN OKANAGAN LAKES knows we have something special here. Something worth fighting for. Unfortunately a battle is brewing and it’s going to take everyone’s help to protect this precious resource. The challengers are dreissenid mussels, more commonly referred to as zebra or quagga mussels. They are microscopic at birth and the size of your thumbnail at maturity. While this may not sound very ominous, these invasive mussels present a significant threat to life as we know it in the Okanagan. About 30 years ago they hitched a ride from their homeland in Eastern Europe in the ballast water of ocean liners
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and arrived in North America via the St. Lawrence Seaway. The combination of high reproductive rates (each female can produce a million eggs a year) and a lack of natural enemies resulted in a rapid spread across the continent. Since their introduction, these mussels have spread to Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba, and are now found in at least 24 American states as far west as California and Colorado. At this time, zebra and quagga mussels are not believed to be in B.C. These freshwater molluscs have received a helping hand from boaters. Zebra and quagga mussels can attach themselves to boat hulls, trailers, motors, vegetation and equipment, and by doing so, are easily moved from lake to lake.
By no means is the Okanagan immune from their invasion. In fact, our valley is considered particularly vulnerable because of the rich calcium content and temperature of our lakes. We have a lot to lose if they arrive here. They litter beaches with razor-sharp shells. Adults grow in big clusters and clog water intake pipes and distribution systems. They ruin boat engines and jam steering equipment. They filter large amounts of water, competing for food with native mussels, clams and fish. They produce toxins that can kill fish and birds, and contaminate our drinking water. Their invasion would also be a large hit to our pocketbooks. A 2013 study commissioned by the Okanagan Basin Water Board estimated that the annual
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