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I did not know all the side effects
The Hidden Devastations Caused by Zebra Mussels
The Hidden Devastations Caused by Zebra Mussels
That's what they looked like but I'm not sure. We went snorkeling and saw tons of different species. Oddly no fish lol. We didn't have cell service there so I was dissapointed that I couldn't go back to the campsite and look up all the different things we saw. People fishing off the dock were saying they hadn't caught any fish but tons of clams and mussels.
The mussels were definitely on wood. There was black ones and striped ones. The clams were everywhere! Definitely not a lake you can walk in. You get sucked in by the mud fast!We have lots of fresh water clams in our lakes and streams. I have not noticed any of the mussel species in BC , but our native ones are tiny and mud burrowers from what I've read.. It is easy to tell the difference between our clams and the invasive zebra and quagga mussels. Our clams are bottom dwellers , found in muddy and sandy bottoms of our lakes and streams. The zebra and quagga mussels are found attached to wood, rocks and anything else in the water column, often in large masses. That is the problem with their spread. They attach to boats and other solid objects we may move from one body or another to our waters.. Larva can also be in bilge water from a boat in an infested waterway. The mussels can survive for some time out of water before they dry out and die, and their larva can remain viable in bilge water even longer.
Thank you. I will do it nowI would report your sighting. They may be native, but much better to report your sighting so they can check the lake to be sure one way or another .. We sure don't need an infestation of either zebra or quagga mussels anywhere in BC.
Here is a link with info on reporting invading and non-native species: Report | Invasive Species Council of British Columbia | ISCBC Plants & Animals