Zebra Mussels

Two interesting articles lately on zebra mussels. One in In-Fisherman and the other in the Outdoor News. Seems native species are chowing down on the little pests. Punkinseed and Freshwater Drum are eating them big time. Other species including common carp, sturgeon, sunfish and others are eating them but in smaller numbers. Punkinseed and Drum have the ability to grind the shells. The others eat them whole and digest the contents without breaking the shell.

I do have to wonder how there can be a single zebra mussel left in the Mississippi River if drum are eating them.

Good news is always welcome.

We actually discussed Zebra Mussels in Friday’s lecture here at UW-L. Zebra Mussels have an incredibly high rate of reproduction. I’m willing to bet that they are reproducing faster than they are consumed.

Sounds like great news to me, possibly by mid century we’ll be buying them by the dozen for bait. The only rub is I won’t be here to participate. I posted a picture from early in the year when I could’nt manage it and was hoping for some hints as to why I could’nt manage to do more than the one. I started the process fresh and still came up with the same photo twice. Don’t think I should have used the first devil.

Cool tid bit….thanks for sharing northstar I didn’t know anything was eating them little buggers!

This is supposed to be a “boom year” populationwise for them on the river, and the water was REALLY clear this summer because of that.

While I haven’t been on the river much lately, I haven’t seen many schools of shad this fall. If I’m right, with both species being filter feeders, the zebra mussels are knocking down the shad population.

Dan

They found them in the stomachs of walleyes and sheephead in Lake Erie in the late 90’s.
The ONLY good thing they do is clean the water. They have die-offs when water temps get into the 80’s, but only those that are caught in that temp range.
And yes, they are taking a lot of food out of the system that our native species depend on.
Just wait till the big head and silver carp make it to your areas in numbers. You ain’t seen nothin yet.

I have a fiberglass boat that I leave in the water tied to the dock all season. For the last 4 years or so when I took it out it was covered with them about 1 inch deep all over the bottom. I took it out last Friday to get ahead of the rising water of the Mississippi here in La Crosse and there was not even 1 on the boat! Can’t figure that out!

I believe it, after our last outing a couple weeks ago while cleaning one of our walleyes we (me and the girls) found a whole one in the stomach. The girls thought that was the coolest thing.